After missing the chance to clinch the Serie A title last weekend, Napoli have another opportunity as they travel to Udinese for a midweek clash.
Udinese are coming off a 1-0 defeat at Lecce in their previous Serie A fixture. They were without a number of key attacking players and struggled to find their cutting edge in the final third despite seeing much of the possession.
That result means Udinese have now claimed just one win from their last five matches, suffering three defeats in that run. They also have a few injury problems with the likes of Beto, Gérard Deulofeu and Isaac Success all sidelined.
One positive for Udinese is that they have done some good work at home lately, winning two of their last three matches at Dacia Arena. They claimed a 3-1 victory over AC Milan before running out 3-0 winners over Cremonense in their previous home fixture.
Napoli’s title celebrations were put on hold after playing out a 1-1 draw with Salernitana in their previous Serie A fixture. They struck first through Mathias Olivera and were only minutes away before the visitors struck a late equaliser.
Partenopei have been almost unstoppable for much of the season and will definitely become champions in the coming weeks. However, they appear to have slightly lost their way lately with just one win from their last five matches across all competitions.
The good news for Napoli is that they continue to do some of their best work on the road having won their last eight away matches in Serie A. Luciano Spalletti’s men claimed a 1-0 victory at Juventus in their previous fixture away from home.
How the bookies view it
Napoli have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 10/11 by William Hill to claim the win. Udinese are outsiders at home at 16/5 by bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 29/10 by Unibet.
Head to head
Napoli have a 23-10 advantage with 12 draws from 45 previous matches against Udinese. The Neapolitans have also won the last six meetings and claimed a 3-2 victory in the reverse fixture back in November.
Player to watch
Napoli have the best defence in Serie A and given the number of absentees in Udinese’s attack, they will be targeting a shutout on Thursday. Kim Min-Jae and Amir Rrahmani have been pivotal at the heart of the defence and can lead the Neapolitans to an eighth clean sheet in nine away matches at 17/10 with William Hill.
Partenopei also boast the most potent attack with Victor Osimhen the Serie A top scorer with 21 goals. The striker has also found the net four times in the last three matches against Udinese and is priced at 6/5 by bet365 to score anytime.
Anything else catch the eye?
Napoli have won to nil in seven of their last eight away matches and with Udinese missing some of their attacking players, a repeat could be considered at 5/2 with BetVictor. Given their defensive showings on their travels, BTTS NO could also be on the cards at 23/20 with BetVictor.
Having claimed a 4-0 victory on their last visit to Dacia Arena, a -1 handicap can also be considered at 5/2 with Betfred.
This Serie A match between Udinese and Napoli will be played on May 2, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Udinese vs Napoli prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
