Napoli vs Udinese

Napoli are back home at the Stadio San Paolo to take on and Udinese outfit who are currently in line for UEFA Champions League position. The two sides have struggled of late however and have combined for just 1 win over their last 10 matches respectively.

The partenopei have been slipping up of late and have gone winless over their last 5 matches. Things reached a new low in week 20 when they lost away to last place Cagliari by a score of 2-1 at the Stadio Sant’Elia. The loss drops Reja’s club to 11^th place in Serie A with 24 points for the season. They are 1 point up on Catania and 1 point back of Genoa. This is a very troubling league position given that they had been within the top 7 clubs of the league table for most of the season. The injury list for Napoli this week includes Savini, Domizzi, Cupi and Iezzo while Reja has confirmed he’ll stay with the 3-5-2. Marcelo Zalayeta and Ezequiel Lavezzi will start in attack.

Udinese were held to a 0-0 draw at home in their last match to league leaders Inter Milan at the Stadio Friuli. The draw drops the side managed by Marino to 5^th place in the Serie A with 33 points. They sit 4 points back of Fiorentina and 3 ahead of the resurgent AC Milan. Marino has been doing a great job this season and the side is well within striking distance of a UEFA Champions League spot despite a current run which has seen them win just 1 match from their last 5 played. Asamoah remains out with Ghana at the African Cup of Nations, while it has been confirmed that right side midfielder Mesto will be out for up to 2 months. Ferronetti is set to take his spot on the right flank. De Martino, Pinzi and Obodo round out the list of players who will not be available due to injury. There are no suspension concerns.

Napoli really need to win this match. The two sides are pretty even in terms of talent and strength but it is the home side that need the points in order to snap their slide. Udinese are winless over their last 2 matches without scoring a goal and have scored just once in their last 3 matches. Look for Napoli, and Lavezzi in particular, to pull through in front of the home crowd.

Prediction: Napoli (2-1)