Napoli will be looking to hold on to a slim advantage in the Coppa Italia semi-final second leg against Lazio on Wednesday at the Stadio San Paolo. Napoli secured a 1-1 draw in the first leg, which means they would advance on away goals in case of a goalless draw. Lazio have been unable to defeat Napoli in the last eight direct encounters, but they did win their last Coppa Italia tie over two legs.
Napoli are still involved in the Europa League and they are also fighting for Champions League qualification in the Serie A. However, since the 1-1 first-leg win over Lazio they have only managed one win out of six games. That bad patch allowed Lazio to build an eight-point gap over Napoli in third place. Head coach Rafael Benitez is wanted by several big clubs, he has already won big titles like the Primera Liga, FA Cup, Champions League and UEFA Cup, so the Coppa Italia would definitely look good on his resume. Marek Hamsik should be back in the starting eleven after being rested in the 1-0 defeat at Roma last weekend.
Lazio have recorded seven consecutive league wins and that streak included victories over solid teams like Fiorentina and Torino. They even have a chance of finishing second ahead of bitter rivals Roma, they haven't finished higher than them since 2011. Stefan Radu, Abdoulay Konko and Santiago Gentiletti are still unavailable in defence for Lazio but Edson Braafheid returned from a knock last weekend.
Probable line-ups:
Napoli: Andujar - Britos, Koulibaly, Albiol, Maggio - Callejon, Lopez, Hamsik, De Guzman Mertens - Higuain
Lazio: Marchetti - Mauricio, De Vrij, Basta, Braafheid - Mauri, Felipe Anderson, Parolo, Biglia, Candreva - Klose
My prediction: Napoli to win 2-1.
Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:
Napoli win - 2.20 Draw - 3.40 Lazio win - 3.40
timidi 9 years ago Newbie
Lazio is in the final. This is great news for their fans and finally Lazio will have chance to win trophy. This chance is small because they play against the best team in Italy Juventus but in one game, final game everything is possible and why not, maybe Lazio win and bring some joy for their fans.
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sharpe
9 years ago
Super Hero
Napoli is a favourite to go trough after the first game result. But Lazio have a very nice season and they are very dangerous team not only at home. I will be not a surprised if they drew again but still Napoli who is very strong at home will have the advantage. Will be a very close game, tough to predict.
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h34dhunt3r
9 years ago
Sr. Member
After it being 1:1 in first game back in Milano, we can expect spectacle tonight. Lazio is on a crazy run, Napoli is playing decent entire season, so my opinion is that duel between this two teams is best that italian football can offer at the moment, viewer fun vise. Im still considering what to bet here. On one hand,...
After it being 1:1 in first game back in Milano, we can expect spectacle tonight. Lazio is on a crazy run, Napoli is playing decent entire season, so my opinion is that duel between this two teams is best that italian football can offer at the moment, viewer fun vise. Im still considering what to bet here. On one hand, I cheer for Lazio, but on the other everything is smelling on a draw with a lot of goals. My predictions: - Result: 2:2, with both teams leading once; - Man of the match: Antonio Candreva
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seculla
9 years ago
Super Hero
Tomorrow in second leg in the second semi-final in Coppa Italia both, Napoli and Lazio, will have very tough mission. Napoli is maybe small favorites because they are playing at home and they've "positive" result from the first match this two sides have played in Rome. On the other side Lazio is playing very good and they...
Tomorrow in second leg in the second semi-final in Coppa Italia both, Napoli and Lazio, will have very tough mission. Napoli is maybe small favorites because they are playing at home and they've "positive" result from the first match this two sides have played in Rome. On the other side Lazio is playing very good and they are in good shape, so anything can happen tomorrow. All I know is that we'll watch very good match and let's hope for more goals.
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