Napoli return to action against Lecce in the early Serie A fixture on Saturday. We have two teams from completely different worlds in a match that feels pre-decided.
Napoli's season away from Europe is proving to be a great opportunity for a new Serie A title. The team has been sitting at the top of the table for weeks, with an unbeaten streak of seven, including six wins.
The Blues conceded three goals in the opening round of the season and then went on to allow only two in the next seven fixtures. Their defence is air-tight and even Juventus failed to score against them at home.
On the other end, Lecce's downfall continued with a horrible 6-0 defeat to Fiorentina last week. You could say that Gallo's red card in the 43rd minute was to blame but Lecce were already losing 0-2 at that point and conceded a third within two minutes.
Luca Gotti has been unable to get anything from his squad and Lecce haven't scored a goal in four games in a row. Simultaneously, they conceded 18. Every point counts now as Lecce sit right above the basement, and they already stopped Napoli in the same fixture in the last couple of seasons.
How the bookies view it: Overwhelming home advantage
Bookmakers made it clear that Napoli have an astounding advantage. Betano gave them 8/25 to win on Saturday, while the visitors sit at 19/2. You can also bet on the draw at 37/9.
Recent head to head: The last meeting was a fluke
Forget about the most recent 0-0 in Naples as this fixture will look a lot more like the previous H2Hs. Low scorelines have been rare between these two teams, with Napoli claiming six wins next to Lecce's two. It hasn't always been easy but the Blues typically beat the Giallorossi.
Players to watch: Khvicha or Rom?
Whether you pick Romelu Lukaku or Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, you can't go wrong. The Belgian scored three goals and provided four assists in six Serie A games this season. The Georgian scored four goals and gave two assists in eight.
Lecce will be defending for 90 minutes and we believe that Kvaratskhelia is the better pick for a scorer in this case. He is more creative while Lukaku is less mobile and will be marked from start to finish. But of course, both could also score on Saturday.
Probable line-ups
Napoli: Caprile, Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Olivera, Anguissa, Gilmour, Politano, McTominay, Kvaratskhelia, Lukaku
Lecce: Falcone, Guilbert, Gaspar, Baschirotto, Dorgu, Ramadani, Pierret, Banda, Oudin, Rebic, Krstovic
Anything else catch the eye?
It is interesting how Napoli failed to beat Lecce on the last three occasions at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. We don't see how such an upset can be possible this time. Luca Gotti has an entire squad of injuries on his hands, with at least 10 players being out or questionable ahead of this match.
Napoli's performance against Empoli was underwhelming and we expect them to be hungry for more than a single goal this time. Betting on the FT market is pointless here, so consider combining it with one of the goal markets.
This Serie A match between Napoli and Lecce will be played on Oct 26, 2024 and kick off at 14:00. 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.
