Sunday May 8th 2011, 2pm GMT
Napoli left it late to claim the three points on offer against Genoa last week, but Marek Hamsik’s 83rd-minute strike brought a huge sigh of relief from the home fans and ended a run of two straight Napoli defeats.
This win also virtually guaranteed Napoli’s place in the group stages of next season’s Champions League. They are eight points clear of Lazio in third place, a gap which is unlikely to be bridged with just three games remaining. A win at Lecce will guarantee a top three finish for the Azzurri – an excellent achievement for coach Walter Mazzarri in just his second season in charge (his first season at Napoli culminated in a sixth-place finish).
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, a film producer, has expressed his gratitude to Mazzarri in terms with which he is most familiar: “If Reja [former Napoli coach, now at Lazio], who remains a close friend, was my Clint Eastwood, then Mazzarri is my Sean Penn – grouchy, but very capable. I thank him for everything he is doing for Napoli.”
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| Walter Mazzarri, the Sean Penn of Napoli |
Lecce’s ambition for next season is simply to survive in the top flight of Italian football. The Southern side have lost their last two games, and they need to improve their league position over the next three games or they will be playing in Serie B next term. The Salentini’s home form has been considerably better than their record on the road, but Napoli will present them with a tough test on Sunday.
With two tough games against Inter and Juventus in store for them after this one, Napoli may aim to clinch their place in the top three this weekend. If their attacking players perform to their potential, the visitors should come out on top of what will be a nervous and tightly contested contest.
Prediction – Napoli to win – 3pts
Match odds: Lecce 5/4
Draw 21/10
Napoli 11/5
Lecce: Last 5 Serie A Results
01.05.2011 – Chievo 1-0 Lecce
23.04.2011 – Genoa 4-2 Lecce
17.04.2011 – Lecce 3-3 Cagliari
10.04.2011 – Sampdoria 1-2 Lecce
03.04.2011 – Lecce 2-0 Udinese
Napoli: Last 5 Serie A Results
30.04.2011 – Napoli 1-0 Genoa
23.04.2011 – Palermo 2-1 Napoli
17.04.2011 – Napoli 1-2 Udinese
10.04.2011 – Bologna 0-2 Napoli
03.04.2011 – Napoli 4-2 Lazio
