Napoli vs Udinese

Stadio Diego Armando Maradona sets the stage for an exciting Serie A encounter between table-topping Napoli and mid-table Udinese.

Napoli wasted a glorious chance to go five points clear of second-placed Inter Milan last weekend, conceding a late equalizer in a frustrating 1-1 draw at Roma. That result halted their seven-game winning streak in Serie A but still contributed to a noticeable improvement compared to last season. Indeed, ‘I Partenopei’ have accumulated 16 more points than at this stage of the 2023/24 campaign, largely thanks to an almost impregnable backline. Antonio Conte’s men have kept a league-high 12 clean sheets and conceded fewer goals (16) than any other team in Italy’s top flight. They’ve registered a shutout in three of their last five home league outings (W4, L1), suggesting they’re perfectly positioned to maintain an outstanding run of ten consecutive home victories against upcoming rivals Udinese in Serie A.

Indeed, you’d need to go back to 2013 for Udinese’s last victory at the Maradona Stadium, not to mention they’ve conceded 2+ goals on their last eight league visits to this venue, including a thumping 4-1 defeat in this corresponding fixture in 2023/24. Kosta Runjaic’s side regained some confidence ahead of this tantalizing trip, beating relegation-fighting Hellas Verona 3-2 at home last weekend to end a dismal five-game winless run in Serie A (D3, L2). Despite their underwhelming form, the visitors have been fun to watch, with their three league matches since a scoreless home draw against Atalanta in early January producing over 2.5 goals and both teams scoring. On a positive note, they’ve only lost once in their last five away league games (W2, D2).