For the first time in over a decade, Roma required two penalties to stage a comeback and secure a Serie A victory against Udinese in their latest league encounter. This win also marked their first away triumph in the top-flight since April of last year! A series of three wins in their last four league matches (with one draw) has propelled Roma back into contention for European qualification, as Claudio Ranieri’s squad now sits just six points behind the top six.
Building on their recent success, the Italian side extended their winning streak to seven matches by defeating Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Europa League play-off round. These victories at the Stadio Olimpico have all been by a margin of at least two goals, with Roma consistently taking the lead before halftime. Therefore, we can expect some early action in this upcoming fixture.
Napoli inflicted Juventus’ inaugural league defeat of the season, mirroring their upcoming adversaries’ previous league encounter. Despite trailing 1-0 at halftime, Napoli maintained their three-point lead at the summit of Serie A by triumphing over the Turin-based team with a scoreline of 2-1. Consequently, Antonio Conte’s squad secured their seventh consecutive victory, with the last two triumphs achieved despite conceding the initial goal. This accomplishment marks only the sixth time in their history that Napoli has achieved such an extended winning streak in the competition.
When playing away from home, Napoli has proven to be formidable, securing victories in four consecutive away league matches and scoring three or more goals in three of those games. Notably, they accomplished this feat in their recent visits to top-six opponents Atalanta and Fiorentina. Furthermore, Napoli has displayed resilience in their last ten head-to-head encounters, remaining unbeaten in nine of them (winning six, drawing three, and losing one). In their previous eight visits to this venue, they have only suffered defeat twice, both times against Roma. Moreover, Napoli has managed to keep a clean sheet in three out of the last four matches played here. With these statistics in mind, Napoli enters the fixture with a sense of confidence, anticipating another victorious outcome.
Players to keep an eye on: Lorenzo Pellegrini’s equalizer versus Udinese signified his sixth consecutive appearance in Serie A where he scored the first goal for Roma, with three of the last four goals coming in the second half. Romelu Lukaku of Napoli became the second player in history to score against Juventus while playing for Inter, Roma, and Napoli in their previous match. Lukaku has scored a total of four goals against Roma, including the decisive goal in the previous encounter.
Noteworthy statistic: In their last four home league matches, Roma has scored six goals within the first 25 minutes.
