DEPOSED Italian champions Napoli are limping to the end of a hugely disappointing Serie A season and will be delighted to be off to the beaches after their last game of the season against Lecce on Sunday.
The side that romped to a historic Serie A success last season were never remotely in the hunt to retain their title and they currently sit in tenth place. There is a slim outside chance of ninth place getting a European spot next year but they need a lot of permutations to fall in their favour for that to happen
They are ending the season with a real whimper too with one win in their last 11 games in all competitions and that was away at Monza.
Since the start of February, they have won just one solitary game at their Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, which was such a fortress last season although at least that was against Juventus.
Lecce are safe relegation and Luca Gotti's team can look forward to their third season in a row in Serie A next season as they currently sit in 14th place – four points clear of the drop zone.
But they are not exactly finishing the season in style either with no wins in their last four matches.
How the bookies view it: Napoli good things
Napoli are firm favourites here at 21/50. Lecce can be backed at 21/4 and the draw is 3/1 with bet365.
Recent head to heads: Lazio's thumping win
Napoli crushed Lecce 4-0 when the sides met back at Stadio Via del Mare in September. However, Lecce are unbeaten on their last two meetings to Naples.
Players to watch: Georgian on goal trail
Napoli's Georgian genius Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has perhaps not hit the heights of last season but he still has an excellent tally of 16 goals including one last weekend. He is 7/5 to score anytime here with bet365.
Lecce's Montenegro international striker Nikola Krstovic needs a double to take his tally to ten for the season and while that's perhaps unlikely, he is 11/4 to score anytime on Sunday with bet365.
Probable line-ups:
Napoli look set to be without injured trio Mario Rui, Pierluigi Gollini and the departing Piotr Zielinski. Lecce will be missing Kastriot Dermaku, Mohamed Kaba, Lameck Banda and Nicola Sansone
Napoli: Meret, Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Olivera, Cajuste, Lobotka, Anguissa, Politano, Raspadori, Kvaratskhelia.
Lecce: Falcone; Gendrey, Baschirotto, Pongracic, Gallo, Oudin, Ramadani, Blin, Dorgu, Piccoli, Krstovic.
Anything else catch the eye?
Napoli should at least to end a miserable season on a high with a win against a Lecce side for which this game matters little.
They are far too short to be trusted though to steam in to given their poor home record, so for something a bit more palatable in terms of prices, back them to win to nil at 6/4 with bet365.
Lecce are the third lowest scorers in the league and have lost both their last two matches 2-0.
And the hosts should be good enough to cover a one goal handicap at least at 11/10 against a side who have won away just twice all season.
This Serie A match between Napoli and Lecce will be played on May 26, 2024 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best Napoli vs Lecce prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
