Napoli vs Udinese Football Prediction Serie A Saturday

[Image Source: sportkeeda.com ]

Written By: Ifeanyi Ibeh

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Italian Serie A contenders Napoli welcome mid-table Udinese to Stadio Maradona on Saturday afternoon.

With leaders Milan not kicking off until the evening, Luciano Spalletti's side can go top with a win, for a couple of hours, at least, but an increasingly resilient Udinese side will stand in their path.

Victor Osimhen, who has established himself as Napoli's go-to man this season, once again delivered when it was needed last week, as his double strike at Verona put the southern giants back on track.

The Partenopei had only won one of their previous six games, suffering crucial defeats to both Barcelona in the Europa League and title rivals Milan in Serie A, but victory in Veneto kept them within three points of the Rossoneri, with a better goal differential.

Inter, the defending champions, are also breathing heavily on their shoulder, so Napoli's chances of winning the Scudetto for the first time in over three decades are dependent on getting maximum points from games like this weekend's.

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Napoli has won their past seven Serie A home games against Udinese and was comfortable 4-0 victors in the reverse fixture in September – when Osimhen scored once again at the Dacia Arena – so history will be on their side before kickoff.

However, with the loss to Milan, Napoli have now lost four of their past seven home games in the top division, equaling the number of losses they had in their previous 35 home games.

Udinese's record of ten losses in their last 11 league games against Saturday's opponents – their last triumph over Napoli coming during the 2016-17 campaign – strongly implies they are underdogs to win this time around.

Udinese has also scored just one goal in their previous four Serie A away games, despite Destiny Udogie's contentious late equalise against Milan potentially deciding the title battle. Due to their recent form, there is yet a glimmer of optimism.

The Bianconeri will come in Naples unbeaten in four matches, with draws against Milan and Roma sandwiching their triumph over struggling Sampdoria a fortnight ago. They are currently 14th in the table, eight points clear of the relegation zone.

Udinese has been stabilised under new coach Gabriele Cioffi and fears of relegation continue to fade, despite the fact that they haven't won back-to-back games in Serie A since September following Roma's latest stoppage-time comeback last time out.

Following the international break, Bianconeri's trip to Napoli will be followed by more winnable matchups against Cagliari, Venezia, Empoli, and Bologna, bringing a conclusion to a difficult month of fixtures.

Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti should only be without French full-back Kevin Malcuit, reserve striker Andrea Petagna, and back-up goalkeeper Alex Meret against Udinese because his first-choice lineup is anticipated to be fit on Saturday.

Victor Osimhen is just one goal shy from matching his tally from the previous season (10 in 24 league games), despite the fact that only two of his nine Serie A goals have come at home this season.

The Nigerian international has healed from a shoulder injury suffered against Verona and a persistent knee problem that has plagued him since last month and is ready to lead the line for his club.

Despite the fact that their opponents have shown to be a more difficult opponent recently than they were earlier in the season, Napoli's need for points is significantly higher. That could even inhibit them, as has been the case on Neapolitan soil in recent weeks, so expect a close-fought match – with only the home side's attacking energy getting them over the line for a low-scoring victory.