Napoli vs AC Milan

SS Napoli are home to take on AC Milan in the next to last round of Serie A hoping to bounce back from their defeat on the road to Torino in week 36. AC Milan scored a huge win at home in their big derby match and currently control their destiny in the race for 4^th place which grants a spot in the first round of the Champions League.

Napoli currently sit in 9^th place of the Serie A table with 47 points on the present campaign. Their last match saw them fall by a score of 2-1 away to Torino at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino. With their 47 points Napoli are now 1 point back of 8^th place Genoa and 1 point ahead of 10^th place Palermo. Napoli had gone into that contest unbeaten over their last 3 games. This week manager Reja will be missing Rullo and Zalayeta to injury while Santacroce and Blasi will each be serving a 1 match suspension. Reja is expected to go with a 4-4-2 featuring the Argentine duo of Lavezzi and Roberto Sosa in attack.

The rossoneri are coming off of what might possibly have been their biggest win of the season when they scored a 2-1 victory over Inter Milan in the derby at the San Siro. Thanks to their win AC Milan are in 4^th place of the league table and if the season ended today they would be on their way to the Champions League. AC Milan are now winners of 3 games in a row and 4 of their last 5 overall. They have 61 points on the year and hold a 1 point edge on 5^th place Fiorentina while sitting 9 points back of 3^rd place Juventus. On the injury front manager Carlo Ancelotti will again be missing Ronaldo, Maldini, Dida, Guorcoff and Emerson to injury while Andrea Pirlo will sit out suspended. Look for Pippo Inzaghi to start as the lone striker with Seedorf and Kaka’ behind him as usual. Alexandre Pato starts on the bench.

The result of this match is pretty wide open. Napoli have been a quality club at home this season with 10 wins but Milan have been equally impressive with 10 road victories. With AC Milan needing these 3 points a lot more than Napoli, they just might have enough in the tank to pull out the 3 points.

Prediction: AC Milan (0-1)

Napoli vs Atalanta

Napoli and Atalanta will face-off in a battle of clubs separated by just one point in the Serie A league table in week 33. Both sides are coming off of ugly losses a week ago.

Napoli come into this contest in 10^th place of the league table with 40 points on the present campaign. They currently sit 1 point back of 9^th place Atalanta making this match their best opportunity left this season to leap-frog over them in the standings. The partenopei also hold a 1 point edge on 11^th place SS Lazio. Last week they suffered a very bad loss on the road at the hands of Catania by a score of 3-0. They have now posted 2 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw over their last 5 contests. There is only one name on the injured list this week and it is Uruguayan striker Marcelo Zalayeta. Santacroce is out suspended at this time and his place will go to Contini as manager Reda keeps his 3-5-2 formation. In attack Argentine striker Lavezzi will be joined by Calaio as fellow Argentine Roberto Sosa is not ready for 90 minutes and will start on the bench.

Atalanta were losers at home last week to league leaders Inter Milan by a score of 0-2 at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri D’Italia. The result continued a dry spell for the bergamaschi which has seen them score just 2 goals over their past 4 games. They are now in 9^th place of the league table with 41 points and sit 1 point back of 8^th place Genoa. They have obtained 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses from their last 5 games. Manager Del Neri will have to deal with some important absences this week as the club’s most important player Doni is out suspended for the next 2 games while the Argentine Rivalta is out injured. Rivalta is joined by Costinha, Muslimovic, Talamonti and Langella. On the bright side, Carrozzieri returns to the first eleven.

Napoli appear to have the edge this week. Not only will they be at home, but Atalanta will be missing the heart and soul of their club in Doni- not to mention Rivalta. Couple these absences with Atalanta’s alarming inability to score goals of late and the stage is set for the side from the Stadio San Paolo to move into 9^th place.

Prediction: Napoli (1-0)

Reggina vs Napoli

Reggina face-off at home to Napoli at the Oreste Granillo with the pressure to win squarely on their shoulders as they need every remaining point at home to insure that they can escape relegation. Napoli are coming off of a big win at home and will be looking to find some consistency away from home.

Reggina were able to hold out for a 1-1 draw away to Livorno in their last match at the Stadio Armando Picchi. With the draw the side managed by Orlandi are now in 18^th place of the league table with 26 points. They sit 2 points back of 17^th place Livorno and just ahead of 19^th place Empoli. Given their win a week ago, Reggina have now gone two matches without a loss and when you are in a situation as dire as Reggina’s that is very positive news on which to build on. The have posted 1 win, 2 draws and 2 losses over their last 5 games. This week manager Orlandi will be missing Vigiani, Alvarez, Montiel and Ceravolo to injury while Missiroli is out suspended. The good news is that Cirillo returns to the back line and will partner with the Uruguayan Carlos Valdez at the center back positions. Amoruso will be the lone striker in attack with Brienza and Cozza playing just behind him.

Napoli came up big at home to Fiorentina when they held serve by a score of 2-0. It was only their 2^nd win to go with 3 losses over their last 5 matches and they now find themselves in 10^th place of the league table with 36 points. This leaves them 1 point back of 9^th place Lazio and just ahead of Palermo on goal difference. Manager Reja has a number of absences to deal with this week as Zalayeta, Cupi and Iezzo are out injured while Savini, Domizzi and Mannini are all out suspended. In the case of Mannini it is the first match of a 2 match suspension. In attack, Calaio will once again start for Zalayeta with Roberto Sosa on the bench. He will accompany Lavezzi while the 3 man back line will be composed of Contini, Cannavaro and Santacroce.

Reggina can win this one. While Napoli have been better overall this season, they have inspired no confidence on the road and their pitiful road record stands at 2 wins, 3 draws and 9 losses. Reggina are playing for their lives at this point and that is always a dangerous foe to go up against. Reggina can go a long way towards avoiding the drop at season’s end if they can take the 3 points this week.

Prediction: Reggina (2-1)

Napoli vs Fiorentina

Napoli play host to Fiorentina at the Stadio San Paolo in a midweek fixture during week 29 of Serie A. The partenopei have hit some hard times since becoming the first side this season to defeat Inter Milan and are now in the bottom half of the league table. Fiorentina are still very much in the running for a Champions League and will be looking to keep pace with the squad directly above them, Juventus.

Reja’s side is in 12^th place of the lead table with 33 points for the year. They sit 1 point back of 11^th place SS Lazio and sit 2 points up on 13^th place Torino. They lost a heart breaker in week 28 away to Juventus at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino by a score of 1-0. It was a difficult loss to digest because it appeared that Napoli had at least done enough to secure a point. The loss was Napoli’s 3^rd in their last 4 matches and during that stretch they have scored just 1 goal while conceding 5. The last player to score for Napoli, Marcelo Zalayeta, is out for the season following surgery to repair a ligament in his knee. The positive news for Napoli this week is that Zalayeta will be the only injury concern. Calaio will once again take his spot and play alongside Lavezzi in attack.

Fiorentina were winners at home over the weekend by a 3-1 score over Genoa at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. That win, coupled with AC Milan’s loss extended Fiorentina’s advantage over 5^th place Milan to 4 points as they now have 50 on the season which are good enough for 4^th place. The viola currently sit 4 points back of 3^rd place Juventus. The side managed by Cesare Prandelli have now won 3 of their last 4 matches. This week there are 3 confirmed absences as Jorgensen and Gamberini are injured while Gobbi is suspended. Adrian Mutu is a confirmed starter along with Christian Vieri and Semioli in attack, while Dainelli gets the start at the back in place of the aforementioned Jorgensen.

This match is a real gut check for Napoli. They really have not played with any consistency since the new year began and any hope of a European Cup appearance has almost completely disappeared. A win at home this week is vital but it won’t be easy as Fiorentina have managed 6 wins and 5 draws from 14 road matches this season. Only Juventus, Roma and Inter Milan have fared better than Fiorentina on the road this year. Look for the viola to pull this one out.

Prediction: Fiorentina (0-1)

Juventus vs Napoli

Juventus return home to the Stadio Olimpico di Torino looking to repeat their strong showing of a week ago when they won on the road. Napoli are at the other end of the spectrum having blown 3 points at home in their last match and they now find themselves closer to the relegation zone that they are to UEFA Champions League slot.

The vecchia signora scored a 0-2 victory away to Genoa in their week 27 match at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris at Marassi. This leaves them in 3^rd place of the Serie A table with 51 points for the season. They sit 7 points back of 2^nd place AS Roma and 4 points up on 4^th place Fiorentina. It was a great way for Juve to rebound after having lost a tough match at home to Fiorentina and they snapped a 3 match winless run at the same time. This week manager Claudio Ranieri will be missing Andrade, Marchionni and Zanetti. In addition to these three Zebina, Legrottaglie and Camoranesi will be out suspended. These suspensions will open up spots for Grygera, Molinaro, and Salihamidzic while Nedved will start on the left side of midfield. Striker David Trezeguet is currently tied atop the league scoring table with 16 goals along with Borriello of Genoa.

Napoli were playing their second consecutive home match last week but they were unable to hold serve as they were beaten by Roma, 0-2 at the Stadio San Paolo. Napoli had gone into the contest on a high note after having become the first team this season to beat Inter Milan 7 days earlier. The loss leaves the partenopei in 12^th place of Serie A with 33 points leaving them just behind 11^th place Lazio and 2 points ahead of 13^th place Torino. Even worse than the loss however is the fact that Napoli lost Marcelo Zalayeta, their top scorer, for the rest of the season with a ligament tear. This week Zalayeta is joined by Cupi and Iezzo on the injured list while Mannini and Blasi are out suspended. Zalayeta’s spot in the starting eleven is going to be taken by Calaio who will start alongside Lavezzi.

Juventus have not been perfect at home this season as they have managed to draw 4 matches while losing 2 and at times have been guilty of failing to have a killer instinct to finish off matches. Meanwhile, Napoli have been extremely poor on the road with just 2 wins to go with 3 draws and 8 losses. Their inconsistency on the road will be their downfall in the end.

Prediction: Juventus (2-1)

Napoli vs Roma

Napoli pulled off the result of the season last week when they became the first side to defeat first place Inter Milan and will now have the honor of taking on 2^nd place Roma. The giallorossi are coming off of a big win in the Champions League over none other than Real Madrid and morale is sky high in their camp as well.

Everything fell into place for Napoli in week 26 as they did what many thought would be impossible this season and hand Inter Milan their first loss. A superb all around defensive effort made a 3^rd minute goal from Marcelo Zalayeta stand up. In fact, Napoli were even afforded the luxury of having Zalayeta miss a penalty shot later in the match. The victory was only the 2^nd in 5 matches for the partenopei and leaves them in 11^th place of the Serie A table with 33 points. They are 1 point back of 10^th place Atalanta and 3 points ahead of Lazio. This week manager Reja will be missing Cupi, Garics, Iezzo and Pazienza to injury but the rest of the squad is available. Napoli look set to go with their normal 3-5-2 with the aforementioned Zalayeta joined by Lavezzi in attack.

Roma are in 2^nd place of the league table with 55 points which leaves them 6 back of first place Inter Milan and 7 points ahead of Juventus. Last week they scored a convincing 4-0 win over 2^nd Parma which helped them gain 3 points on Inter after their unexpected loss. The side managed by Spaletti then outdid themselves by defeating Real Madrid at the Bernabeu to advance to the quarter finals of the Champions League. They will go into this contest at the San Paolo with a lot of confidence. Given that Roma will be playing their 3^rd intense match in 8 days some turnover is expected. At this time the only two players not available are Curci and Cassetti who are both out injured. Totti and the impressive Vucinic are expected to start.

Napoli are certainly not getting any help from the fixture list this month. Back to back home matches to Inter Milan and then Roma can be quite a nightmare but they are half way through it and looking pretty good so far. The fact that Roma will be playing for the 3^rd time in 8 days could play a factor.

Prediction: Napoli (2-1)

Napoli vs Inter Milan

Napoli return home in the middle of a brutal stretch which has seen them lose 3 of their last 4 matches to host unbeaten Inter Milan in the final match of week 26. Inter will be looking to extend their unbeaten run to 26 matches this week.

Napoli’s woes continued with yet another loss, this time on the road to Genoa. The loss leaves the side managed by Reja in 11^th place of the league table with 30 points on the present campaign. The partenopei sit 4 points back of 10^th place Palermo and 1 point ahead of 12^th place Lazio. If they are still going to make a run at a european qualifying spot they will have to begin winning matches at home soon and that means this week against the very tough Inter. This week the injured list includes Cupi, Garics, Iezzo and Pazienza while Domizzi is suspended. The good news is that Marcelo Zalayeta returns from suspension.

The neroazzurri had their unbeaten run pushed to the brink in their week 25 match at home to Roma. After 80 minutes they were down 0-1 and only a late goal by club captain Javier Zanetti helped them see off the challenge of 2^nd place Roma. Thanks to the draw, the side managed by Roberto Mancini maintain a 9 point lead over Roma with 61 points to their 52. Inter Milan continue to be plagued by a number of injuries but that has been the case for some time this season and they still continue to breeze through Serie A. The confirmed absences this week involve Dacourt, Samuel, Cordoba, Cesar, Cambiasso, Maxwell, Burdisso and the club’s two best scorers- Ibrahimovic and Cruz. Any other side would be paralyzed by such absences but Inter’s depth is strong enough that they should be able to make due in the mean time. Suazo and Crespo will hold things down in attack with Maniche, Vieira and Figo in midfield.

Technically this would be the ideal match in which Napoli could get back on track. They are at home against an injury plagued Inter Milan outfit that is due to lose at some point. However, Inter showed tremendous grit and determination to fight for the point against Roma and were able to prove that they can obtain important results even when their most important players are not available. Look for Inter to pull out yet another draw as Napoli appear too inconsistent at this time to be able to win against a side of such quality.

Prediction: Draw (1-1)

Genoa vs Napoli

Genoa and Napoli both scored big victories over the week and will look to continue their respective positive runs in this midweek contest at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris at Marassi. This match represents an excellent chance for the visitors to leap-frog over Genoa in the league table.

Il Grifone return home after a huge performance away to Udinese in week 24 that saw them run out 3-5 winners at the Stadio Friuli. Borriello was the hero with a hat trick in the 2^nd half. The 3 points land Genoa in 8^th place of the league table with 32 points. They are 3 points back of 7^th place Sampdoria and 1 point up on 9^th place Atalanta. They have been extremely consistent in terms of even results as evidenced by their record of 8 wins, 8 draws and 8 losses in 24 games. There are two confirmed absences for the contest against Napoli with Wilson out injured and Rubinho serving suspension. The good news this week is that Rossi will be able to play and will start on the right side of midfield in a 3-4-3 with Sculli, Borriello and Leon in attack.

Napoli are now in 11^th place of the league table with 30 points on the season. They are 1 point back of 10^th place Palermo and 4 points up on 12^th place Torino. They came up with a most important win at Livorno in week 24 by a score of 1-2 at the Stadio Armando Picchi. It was a huge win for the partenopei as it snapped a stretch that had seen them lose 3 of 4 contests. Manager Reja’s side will be limping into this 2^nd straight road match over the last 4 days as the potential exists for a number of absences. Marcelo Zalayeta, Santacroce and Cannavaro are all out suspended while Cupi, Garics, Iezzo and Pazienza while key player Ezequiel Lavezzi is listed as doubtful. Luckily for Napoli Roberto Sosa and Calaio are set to come into the attack. Calaio was the hero against Livorno when he started in place of Zalayeta.

Genoa must be seen as having the edge this week. Not only are they home but they will be taking on a Napoli outfit that will be playing their second straight road match and will be missing starting players both in attack and at the back. In addition, Napoli have won just 2 of 12 matches away from home this season.

Prediction: Genoa (1-0)

Livorno vs Napoli

Livorno face off at home against the struggling Napoli looking to take advantage of the visitors current poor run of form in Serie A. Meanwhile, the partenopei need at least a draw in the worst way to keep what was once a promising season from spiraling out of control.

Livorno come into this contest in 15^th place of the league table with 23 points on the season. They are just behind Catania on goal difference while sitting one point ahead of 16^th place Empoli. Last week they dropped all 3 points with a 2-0 loss away to Inter Milan at the Giuseppe Meazza. Livorno’s winless run has now reached 4 matches with 2 losses along the way. This week they are severely hampered by a number of injury concerns. Among the players ruled out are Bergvold, Giannichedda, Volpe, Rossini and top scorer Tavano. This will leave manager Camolese to go with a 3-5-2 featuring Bogdani and Tristan as the two strikers.

Napoli have not played much better relative to Livorno over the past few weeks. Last week the club hit another low point in their season when they lost at home to Empoli by a score of 1-3 at the Stadio San Paolo. They also lost top striker Marcelo Zalayeta to suspension and he will now miss 2 matches. The loss left the club managed by Reja in 11^th place of Serie A with 27 points on the present campaign. They are 2 points back of 10^th place Genoa and 1 ahead of 12^th place SS Lazio. In addition to Zalayeta’s absence this week Domizzi is also out suspended while Cupi and Iezzo are out injured. In a surprise move, Calaio is the player to be selected to start in attack for Zalayeta alongside Lavezzi, while Roberto Sosa will be on the bench. Napoli are winners of just one of their last 5 matches with 3 losses over that stretch.

Things are not trending well for Napoli. Not only are they going through their worst stretch of the season, but they have been awful away from home all year long with just 1 win and 3 draws to show from 7 matches. However, Livorno have played like anything but world beaters at home this season and are missing some very important players this week. This has stalemate written all over it.

Prediction: Draw (1-1)

Napoli vs Empoli

Napoli return to the Stadio San Paolo to host Empoli in a Serie A match where both sides are in desperate need of points. Napoli’s recent dry spell in terms of points has seen them fall back to the pack in the middle of the league table, while Empoli are currently in the relegation zone and every remaining match is a final for them.

Napoli were beaten on the road in week 22 on their visit to Sampdoria by a score of 2-0 as the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. It was a very complicated match for the partenopei as they were missing 6 starters either through suspension or injury. That result drops Reja’s side to 11^th place in the league table with 27 points. They find themselves 1 point back of 10^th place Palermo and 3 ahead of 12^th place Torino. They have just 1 win from their last 6 matches. Things are a bit more manageable on the injury front this week with only Iezzo, Cupi and Garics ruled out while Contini is suspended. The good news is that Blasi returns to the midfield and Reja is going to shake things up a bit with 3 strikers in a 4-3-3 set. The clubs two leading scorers- Lavezzi and Zalayeta will be joined by Mannini who will operate on the right win.

Empoli come into this contest in 18^th place of the league table with 19 points. They are 1 point behind 17^th place Parma and 1 point ahead of 19^th place Reggina. If the season were to end this way they would be making the drop to Serie B. The club picked up a huge victory at home last week by defeating SS Lazio 1-0 at the Stadio Carlo Castellani. That win represents their only victory over their last 5 matches to go along with 1 draws and 3 losses. This week manager Malesani is missing just one play through injury in Mchedlidze while Vannucchi will sit out suspended. Top scorer Pozzi will be the lone striker in a 4-4-1-1.

This contest will be a real test of character for Napoli. If they are going to make a run at a European cup qualifying spot they must take care of business at home. Empoli have managed just 1 win to go with 2 draws and 8 losses away from home. Napoli cannot let this opportunity slip away and should get the points this week.

Prediction: Napoli (2-1)

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