Napoli will he hoping to continue their good form of late as they host Udinese at the Stadio San Paolo on Sunday in Serie A.
Rafael Benitez’s men have quietly taken control of third place in recent weeks, with the Azzurri are a top the Serie A form chart and are rapidly closing in on second place Roma.
Napoli are now only four points back of second place as Benitez and company have quietly gone about their business. Not only do the club have the best form in Serie A at the moment, but the Azzurri are also coming off a Coppa Italia quarter-final win against Inter.
Udinese, on the other hand, have had mixed results for much of the season; but the Bianconeri have lost just once in their last five games.
Andrea Stramaccioni’s men defeated Napoli in week three of the Serie A season, and the former Inter coach will hope his team can do the double this weekend.
When these teams met last autumn, Udinese were on the back foot for much of the game, nicking the game in the second half from a set piece. Napoli were in flux during that time, fresh out of the Champions League and losers of two of their first three.
Napoli will evaluate Juan Zuniga and Michu ahead of the weekend. Otherwise, Napoli will be at full strength against Udinese.
Napoli will have left-back Faouzi Ghoulam back from the Africa Cup of Nations which should relegate Ivan Strinic to the bench. Strinic has proven yet another astute Benitez signing, but he’ll provide much needed cover for the Azzurri.
Benitez will most likely line up in the team’s usual 4-2-3-1 with 12 goal man Gonzalo Higuain leading the way. Meanwhile, Benitez will most likely continue with Jonathon De Guzman over Dries Mertens, who has failed to convince the Spaniard.
The Bianconeri sit in mid-table, ten points above the relegation zone, seemingly safe for another year. The team are coming off an impressive scoreless draw against league leaders Juventus and a win against Napoli could propel the team into a late season run at Europa League qualification.
The Bianconeri’s newest addition, Stipe Perica, could make his Udinese debut. The Chelsea youngster arrived after being recalled by the London club from NAC Breda. That will be a huge boost due to the club’s lack of attacking options this time out.
Udinese will be without captain Antonio Di Natale, who is suspended for the team’s trip to Naples. The striker will be joined by Panagiotis Kone, who will serve a two match suspension.
Cyril Thereau will be tasked in leading the Udinese line against an improved Napoli defence. The Napoli rearguard has given up a mere three goals in their last four Serie A games.
Udinese will also be without enterprising midfielder Emmanuel Badu, who is currently at the Africa Nations Cup.
This game is a big test for Napoli as a win could inch them closer to second place and automatic Champions League qualification. A loss and the door will be left up for Lazio or Sampdoria to creep up on the Azzurri.
Form Guide: Napoli (W-W-L-W-W-W) Udinese (D-L-D-D-W-D)
Expected Starting XIs
Napoli: Rafael, Maggio, Koulibaly, Albiol, Ghoulam, Gargano, Inler, Callejon, Hamsik, De Guzman, Higuain
Udinese: Karnezis, Heurtaux, Danilo, Piris, Widmer, Allan, Guilherme, Hallberg, Silva, Fernandes, Thereau
