Serie A | Gameweek 24

Feb 9, 2025 at 7.45pm UK

Stadio Diego Armando Maradona

Napoli vs Udinese

Match preview

After a great run of seven wins in Serie A, Napoli were on track to keep that going in the Derby del Sole. They were in the lead against Roma thanks to Leonardo Spinazzola's great goal in the first half.

But then the Giallorossi sent their home fans wild by producing a dramatic equaliser at Stadio Olimpico, meaning that Inter Milan could claim top spot by winning their postponed game against Fiorentina.

So, Inter's shock 3-0 defeat was a big deal in Naples, where dreams of a second Scudetto in three seasons are becoming more and more likely.

The boss of Napoli, Antonio Conte, has won loads of trophies as a player and coach, and he's brought new life into the squad. Last season, they didn't defend their title very well, and they might even have got weaker during a pretty rubbish transfer window.

Conte is never one to keep his frustrations to himself, but now he needs to put his club's failure to replace Khvicha Kvaratskhelia behind him as the race for first place continues.

Having won nine times and kept six clean sheets in 11 top-flight home games this season, he'll probably want to keep things going in a similar way this weekend.

Napoli have a great track record, with 10 consecutive Serie A wins over Udinese at Stadio Maradona, and an average of 3.1 goals per game.

Udinese haven't won any of the last 17 league meetings between the two teams, and they've lost 14 of those games.

So, the Friulani are heading south with a bit of a mountain to climb.

Last weekend, after three draws and two defeats, Udinese finally tasted victory for the first time since before Christmas, beating relegation-threatened Venezia 3-2.

They almost slipped up by wasting a two-goal lead, which Sandi Lovric and main marksman Lorenzo Lucca had earned, but the Bianconeri still claimed maximum points thanks to Iker Bravo's clever finish.

Now, Kosta Runjaic and his team could actually record back-to-back wins for the first time since September, even if they have been struggling on the road recently.

Udinese have lost five of their last nine Serie A away games, which is the same as the number of defeats they suffered in the previous 18. Now they have one of the toughest tests in Calcio to look forward to.

Recent Performance

Napoli Serie A form:WWWWWD

Udinese Serie A form:DDDLLW

Team News

After being on the sidelines for over a month, Napoli might bring back key defender Alessandro Buongiorno this weekend. But it looks like Juan Jesus will still start alongside Amir Rrahmani, with Buongiorno coming off the bench.

Antonio Conte's only absentee is left-back Mathias Olivera, who's been ruled out until next month because of a calf injury.

Romelu Lukaku has scored six goals in eight Serie A games against Udinese, and he'll be leading the hosts' attack. New loan signing Noah Okafor should be named on the bench.

Since the start of last season, Udinese's star player Lorenzo Lucca has scored 17 goals, with eight coming from his head.

The Friulani's front line is spearheaded by the towering striker once again, with Alexis Sanchez and Florian Thauvin competing to partner him.

Another forward, Keinan Davis, has returned to training, along with wing-back Kingsley Ehizibue, and Swedish midfielder Jesper Karlstrom is back from suspension. Unfortunately, Isaak Toure, Lautaro Giannetti and first-choice goalkeeper Maduka Okoye are still unavailable.

Possible starting lineup

Napoli possible starting lineup:

Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Spinazzola; Anguissa, Lobotka, McTominay; Politano, Lukaku, Neres

Udinese possible starting lineup:

Sava; Kristensen, Bijol, Solet; Ehizibue, Lovric, Karlstrom, Payero, ​​Kamara; Thauvin, Lucca