Preview: Lazio vs. Napoli – Team news and prediction

A classic encounter in Italy as the two rivals Lazio and Napoli face off in a particularly crucial match for both teams. Lazio recently suffered a defeat in the Super Cup against Inter, but prior to that, they have shown good form with five consecutive wins, four of which were in Serie A. They have climbed to the sixth position, and with just 1 point behind Fiorentina in fourth place, Champions League spots are within reach.

Napoli has been remarkably inconsistent this season and has in no way lived up to last year's significant success, neither in terms of gameplay nor results. Most recently, they lost to Inter in the Super Cup, but before that, they secured a 3-0 victory over Fiorentina in the Cup and a 2-1 win over Salernitana in Serie A. Napoli currently sits in 9th place with 31 points, trailing by 3 points for the third spot in the league and the Champions League, which appears to be the success criterion for Napoli this season. Therefore, they ideally need to secure points in tonight's match against Lazio, as they are one of the competitors for the fourth spot.

Last five meetings between Lazio vs. Napoli: 
◉ 1-2: Napoli vs. Lazio
◉ 0-1: Napoli vs. Lazio 
◉ 1-2: Lazio vs. Napoli 
◉ 1-2: Lazio vs. Napoli 
◉ 4-0: Napoli vs. Lazio 

Team news: 
It appears that there are some significant absences for both Lazio and Napoli in the upcoming match. Mattia Zaccagni and Ciro Immobile from Lazio will miss the game due to suspension, and Taty Castellanos is out with an injury. For Napoli, Victor Osimhen is absent due to his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations, while Jens Cajuste, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Giovanni Simeone are all suspended.

This opens opportunities for players like Jesper Lindstrom, who may get a chance to showcase his value, especially given the mentioned absences. It will be interesting to see how the teams address these challenges and which alternative players step up in this match.

Lazio expected lineup:
Provedel; Marusic, Patric, Gila, Pellegrini; Guendouzi, Rovella, Alberto;  Isaksen, Anderson, Pedro. 

Napoli expected lineup: 
Gollini; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Rui; Gaetano, Lobotka, Zieleinski;  Politano, Lindstrom, Raspadori.

Prediction: 
Lazio has shown good form in Serie A lately, and considering Napoli's absences, it's a depleted Napoli side visiting a tough away venue. We believe that Lazio will win the match with odds of 2.25 at Betway.