Napoli, which has won 10 straight games in the Serie A, is 8 points clear atop the standings and will play host to Udinese at the Stadio Maradona on Saturday in an attempt to continue their remarkable run.
Luciano Spalletti’s team is assured to be in first place in the standings going into 2023 after beating Empoli in the middle of the week to follow up last week’s defeat of Atalanta BC. They are now pursuing their first Scudetto since the 1980s.
Napoli has only ever won 10 consecutive league games twice in its history, but this year’s team has now accomplished the feat after two more victories over the past few days.
The fourth time they have won all three points in Serie A despite giving up the first goal, they overcame Atalanta 2-1 last Saturday in Bergamo. They were also able to continue their impressive run in midweek.
Hirving Lozano’s second-half penalty gave Spalletti’s team the lead at Stadio Maradona, but they had to wait for the Mexican winger to score before setting up another substitute, Piotr Zielinski, for the second. Spalletti made a few lineup changes, some of which were necessitated by injuries.
They hope to maintain this status at least until the round of 16 of the competition, where they will face Eintracht Frankfurt in February, where they will play fellow Champions League contenders Paris Saint-Germain.
The Partenopei won’t play again until early January after hosting Udinese at the Maradona; their first three games of 2023 will then feature matches against Inter and Juventus.The Partenopei won’t play again until early January after hosting Udinese at the Maradona; their first three games of 2023 will then feature matches against Inter and Juventus.
It’s unclear whether Spalleti and company can keep up their momentum after such a long break, but they will undoubtedly want to cap off an outstanding start to the season by defeating struggling opponents on Saturday.
Udinese, who are currently in last place in Serie A, were held to a 1-1 draw by struggling Spezia on Tuesday, failing to snap a troubling winless streak.
Despite this, the Bianconeri are still in the top half of the table after winning six straight games and only losing twice in their previous seven games, including a Coppa Italia elimination at the hands of Monza.
However, the Fruilani’s previously effective forward line has dried up, resulting in five draws from six in the league. Only Andrea Sottil’s reliable defensive system has managed to keep the total points ticking over during that time.
The remarkable autumn run by his team has earned the former Ascoli coach plenty of credit, but he will be eager to pull off an upset on Saturday in order to end the year on a high note.
Even though the odds are stacked against them, Udinese might fancy their chances of stopping the Napoli juggernaut given that they have the sixth-best away record in the top flight and have only given up one goal per game.
Napoli Team News
Luciano Spalletti is expected to select his best available XI on Saturday for Napoli’s 2022 championship game after making several changes in the middle of the week.
Despite being recently sidelined due to a back issue, winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia hopes to play against Udinese. The Georgian could make an appearance from the bench with eight goals and ten assists already to his name in 17 games for the Partenopei.
However, defensive stalwart Kim Min-jae will be replaced by Juan Jesus or Leo Ostigard because Amir Rrahmani won’t finish his comeback until after the World Cup break. Victor Osimhen is Serie A’s top scorer despite being sidelined by injuries, and the Nigerian should defeat Giovanni Simeone’s challenge to reclaim the starting spot.
Napoli possible starting lineup:
Alex Meret; Di Lorenzo, Kim, Juan Jesus, Mario Rui; Anguissa, Lobotka, Zielinski; Lozano, Victor Osimhen, Raspadori
Udinese Team News
For the trip to Naples, Udinese will be without Jean-Victor Makengo, Destiny Udogie, Rodrigo Becao, and Bram Nuytinck. Bram Nuytinck is also a question after waddling off in midweek but should recover quickly.
The goal against Spezia was scored by Sandi Lovric, who will look to keep his position in midfield as Isaac Success and top scorer Beto compete to partner Gerard Deulofeu up front.
Udinese possible starting lineup:
Silvestri; Perez, Bijol, Nuytinck; Pereyra, Lovric, Walace, Arslan, Ebosse; Gerard Deulofeu, Isaac Success
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