Roma v Napoli Match Preview and Betting Tips

Saturday 28th April 2012, 7.45pm GMT (live on ESPN)

It would be misleading to describe the battle for third place in Serie A this season as fierce. While Milan and Juventus go toe-to-toe for the Scudetto, streets ahead of the rest, Lazio and Udinese seem almost reluctant to finish third. This is good news for Napoli and Inter (and possibly even Roma), who are now also becoming interested in the prospect of Champions League qualification.

Napoli recently suffered three defeats in a row, but they have revived their flagging league campaign with back-to-back wins over relegation candidates Novara and Lecce. Wednesday’s 2-0 win at Lecce was impressive as it ended the hosts’ six-match unbeaten run, but more importantly for Walter Mazzari it brought his side to within a point of Lazio and closer to participation in the Champions League for the second season running.

"El Pocho," seen here scoring against Chelsea, returns to the bench for Napoi tomorrow

Roma’s “experiment” under Luis Enrique was always expected to take time, but even the most patient Roma fans must be tiring of following their team’s woes. They have suffered more defeats than any other team in the top half of the table, and they have huge problems with both their defending and their discipline. Just as Bojan Krkic and Maarten Stekelenburg return from suspension for this game, Danielle De Rossi, Pablo Osvaldo and Eric Lamela miss out due to suspension. Lamela misses three of Roma’s remaining four games for spitting on Stephan Lichtsteiner during Juventus’ recent win over Roma. Classy.

Napoli defender Hugo Camagnaro is unavailable due to injury, but Goran Pandev returns from suspension and Ezequiel Lavezzi is expected to make the bench following his recent thigh injury.

Roma’s home record is far more respectable than their away form, and though they recorded an impressive 3-1 win in Napoli already this season I can’t see them repeating that achievement tomorrow. Expect Napoli to keep up the pressure on Roma’s rivals in a game which should see a few goals.

Prediction – Napoli to win – 5pts

Match odds:            Roma            6/4

                             Draw            11/5   

                             Napoli           7/4

Serie A - round 33 results

AC Milan        1-0       Genoa        

Cesena          0-1       Juventus     

Lecce            0-2       Napoli        

Novara          2-1       Lazio

Palermo         1-2       Parma        

Roma            1-2       Fiorentina   

Siena            1-1       Bologna      

Udinese         1-3       Inter            

Atalanta        1-0       Chievo       

Cagliari          3-0       Catania

Novara v Lazio Match Preview and Betting Tips

Wednesday 25th April 2012, 11.30am GMT (live on ESPN)

This game was originally scheduled to take place on Sunday 15th April, but it was postponed along with every other Serie A game from this round due to the tragic death of Piermario Morrosini on Saturday 14th.

I tipped Lazio to win the originally scheduled fixture, and I’m sticking with that prediction. Although midfielder Hernanez seems to have picked up a season-ending injury, Stefano Mauri will return from his one-game suspension to provide support for Tommaso Rocchi up front. Indeed given recent form, Mauri is a far better option than the Brazilian, who had been disappointing this season and whose mind appears to be elsewhere. Key defender Andre Dias is also available once again following his recent injury.

Will Mauri continue his recent run of rich goalscoring form tomorrow?

Lazio may have thrown away two points by conceding a late equaliser against Lecce on Sunday, but with just five games remaining they still have a genuine chance of holding on to third place. If they are serious about this target however they really need to be beating teams like Novara (who effectively have nothing to play for), and I think Edy Reja is too good a coach to allow his team to slip up twice in three days.

You can read my match preview for the originally scheduled fixture HERE.

Prediction – Lazio to win – 6 points

Match odds:            Novara          15/4

                             Draw            23/10 

                             Lazio             3/4

Serie A - round 34 results

Round 33 fixtures were postponed last weekend as mentioned previously, and they will take place tomorrow and Wednesday. In the meantime, here are the results from this weekend.

AC Milan        1-1        Bologna     

Cesena          2-2        Palermo    

Fiorentina      0-0        Inter

Genoa           1-4        Siena        

Juventus        4-0        Roma        

Lazio             1-1        Lecce        

Catania          2-0        Atalanta    

Chievo           0-0        Udinese     

Napoli            2-0        Novara      

Parma            3-0        Cagliari

Catania v Atalanta Match Preview and Betting Tips

Saturday 21st April 2012, 7.45pm GMT


Catania’s first season under coach Vincenzo Montella can already be marked down as a success – having begun the season with the stated aim of Serie A survival, the Sicilians sit in eighth place in the table and are just three points short of their all-time record in the top flight with six games remaining. Catania president Antonio Pulvirenti displayed his satisfaction with Montella's work this week by confirming that the coach will remain in the hot seat next season.


Atalanta will also be satisfied with their achievements this season. The Bergamo side are in tenth place, three points behind Catania. Indeed, had they not started the season with a six-point deficit (punishment for involvement in match –fixing) they would be challenging for Europa League qualification. Coach Stefano Colantuono was rewarded with a new contact in February, which secures his position for the next two campaigns.

Maxi Morales may be the smallest player in Serie A but he's proving a big hit with Atalanta fans

The visitors ended a mediocre run of form last time out by winning away at Napoli, while Catania suffered a rare home defeat to Lecce – an extraordinary result considering the fact that they were winning 1-0 with just two minutes of normal time remaining. The Stadio Angelo Massimino is the proverbial fortress however, and Inter, Lazio and Napoli have all tasted defeat here this season (while Juventus and Milan both had to settle for a draw).


Catania goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo is unavailable due to his sending-off against Lecce, while Atalanta's top scorer German Denis is also suspended. The Nerazzurri do possess enough quality in their ranks to cause problems for the Sicilian hosts, but considering their solid home record I think Catania are worth a small bet tomorrow.


Prediction – Catania to win – 3pts


Match odds:    Catania       23/20
                     Draw           7/4
                     Atalanta       3/1