The upcoming midweek Serie A matches include some exciting fixtures and these Napoli vs. Udinese predictions focus on two sides performing below expectations. Napoli still have a long way to go in their Serie A title defence and Rudi Garcia needs to generate more consistency.
1 – A draw – 23/5
2 – Napoli under 2.5 total goals – 6/10
3 – Total goals scored under 2.5 – 5/4
4 – Both teams to score – 30/29
5 – A 0-0 draw – 17/1
Napoli’s push to retain their Serie A title has not gone smoothly in the opening weeks of the season, with Garcia already under some pressure in Naples. A strong start to their Champions League season, with a win on the road at Sporting Braga has released some of the tension, but their league form remains mixed.
Ahead of hosting Udinese in midweek, their home Serie A form reads as one win and one loss from two matches, with victory over Sassuolo immediately followed up by a loss to Lazio at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Despite being the stronger team on paper, that form makes it difficult to pick a Napoli win, with Udinese proving to be a tough opponent both home and away. Three successive draws either side of the international break does not indicate a great amount of excitement for the visitors, but they are defensively resilient.
Andrea Sotill’s side have shown real grit in recent weeks and kept clean sheets against Frosinone and Cagliari – and they will be fighting to keep a battle-weary Napoli at bay.
Udinese will be more than happy to sit in and frustrate Napoli here and the onus will be on the home side to go and break them down from the start.
Additionally, based on their two home league games this season, Napoli are only averaging just above one goal scored per 90 minutes. If Udinese can hold them off, frustration will grow among the home fans.
A draw will be a blow for Garcia and his players, particularly if their title rivals power on. But he is still working on his best team and strategy, ahead of a looming Champions League showdown with Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid.
You can stream Napoli vs. Udineselive on Wednesday evening via a bet365 stream with customers able to watch the full game through a valid account. This includes having sufficient funds in your betting wallet or placing a new bet up to 24 hours before kick-off.
Player | Total goals |
---|---|
15 | |
11 | |
8 | |
5 | |
3 |
Player | Total goals |
---|---|
8 | |
6 | |
5 | |
4 | |
2 |
Napoli (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Natan, Jesus, Rui; Anguissa, Elmas, Zielinski; Simeone, Osmihen, Kvaratskhelia
Udinese (3-5-2): Silvestri; Perez, Bijol, Guessand; Fereira, Samardzic; Lovric, Kanara; Lucca, Thauvin
Back-up goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini is a continuing absence for Napoli, with defender Amir Rrahmani also set to miss out. Garcia will look to rotate and freshen up his starting following their start to the new Champions League season at Braga.
Udinese’s injury list continues to grow this month, with six players missing for the trip to Naples. Festy Ebosele and Christian Kabasele are the latest names to join the list, with Brenner and Adam Masina both close to a return.