Stadio Olimpico forms the backdrop for the 155th Serie A Derby del Sole between top-four hopefuls Roma and Scudetto-bidding Napoli. One of the most heavily anticipated fixtures on the Serie A calendar comes amid both sides’ purple patches of form.
Atalanta’s 1-0 win at Olimpico in mid-September was a wake-up call for Jose Mourinho’s Roma. They have since racked up three consecutive league victories via a single-goal margin starting with a come-from-behind 2-1 triumph at fellow top-four rivals Inter. Paulo Dybala, who inspired that success, has subsequently picked up another injury.
The Argentine forward strained his muscle in Roma’s 2-1 win over a 10-man Lecce side in their most recent Serie A home outing. But Dybala’s absence has not hindered the Giallorossi’s momentum, as Lorenzo Pellegrini’s ninth-minute penalty fired them past Sampdoria 1-0 on Monday.
Despite lamenting the second-worst scoring record (13) among sides currently positioned in the top ten in Serie A, Mourinho’s men enjoy themselves in fourth ahead of the kick-off. Roma must keep their foot on the pedal as they are about to take on one of the most in-form teams in Europe, let alone Serie A.
Victor Osimhen marked his long-awaited return to the fold with a much-winning performance against Bologna last weekend. The Nigerian striker slotted home the winner as a second-half substitute to complete his side’s come-from-behind 3-2 home victory and maintain their 100% unbeaten Serie A start (W8, D2).
It’s been a while since the Naples people last felt so enthusiastic about the club’s chances of lifting the Scudetto for the first time since the glory days of Diego Maradona. Inspired by Serie A sensation Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Napoli have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with and will be looking to prove their title credentials in Rome.
Match Preview
Roma
After winning their last three Serie A matches, Roma could make it four in a row in the competition for the first time under Mourinho. Despite entering this round as slight outsiders, the Giallorossi can draw confidence from their eye-catching home league form in 2022. They’ve lost just two of their 13 Serie A outings at Olimpico since the turn of the year (W7, D4).
Except for the abovementioned defeat at the hands of Atalanta, Roma have won all three remaining top-flight home fixtures this season, averaging two goals per game. However, with Dybala unavailable for selection, Mourinho will have to find another source of goals. The Portuguese manager may turn to underperforming marksman Tammy Abraham to carry the scoring burden.
Despite being handed eight Serie A starts and featuring in the two remaining games as a substitute, the former Chelsea man has netted just twice this season. Abraham’s last league goal dates back to Roma’s 2-1 win at Empoli in mid-September, yet now would be a great time to rediscover his form.
Napoli
Last weekend’s triumph over Bologna took Napoli’s winning streak in all competitions to ten matches. Another success in Rome would see the Partenopei reach a historic feat and equal the club-record 11-game winning run set in 1986. The visitors’ strong form at Olimpico bodes well for their bid to make history this weekend.
Barring a 2-1 defeat in November 2019, Napoli have gone unbeaten in five of their last six Serie A visits to Roma (W4, D1), including a goalless draw in this corresponding fixture in 2021/22. On top of that, Spalletti’s men have registered shutouts in their two most recent league clashes against the Giallorossi in the capital (W1, D1).
Against this backdrop, they’ve won their last three Serie A away matches without a clean sheet. That best illustrates how talismanic Napoli have been in front of goal this season. Indeed, 15 different goalscorers have contributed to the visitors’ league-high tally of 25 goals, the majority of which (13) have come on the road.
Roma vs Napoli Potential Line-ups
Roma (3-4-2-1): Rui Patricio; Gianluca Mancini, Chris Smalling, Roger Ibanez; Rick Karsdorp, Bryan Cristante, Nemanja Matic, Leonardo Spinazzola; Lorenzo Pellegrini, Nicolo Zaniolo; Tammy Abraham.
Napoli (4-3-3): Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Kim Min-jae, Juan Jesus, Mario Rui; Tanguy Ndombele, Stanislav Lobotka, Piotr Zielinski; Hirving Lozano, Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.