Serie A: AS Roma’s Resurgence Will Be Put to the Test by Napoli

AS Roma vs Napoli

After a rocky start in his second stint as AS Roma manager, Claudio Ranieri has overseen an upturn in form from his team in the past few weeks, and he hopes to keep it going when they host the Serie A leaders, Napoli, at Stadio Olimpico this Sunday.

AS Roma improved to ninth in the Italian top-flight standings with 30 points because they are undefeated in their last six league matches. They also clinched their spot in the Europa League play-off round after securing a 2-0 victory against Eintracht Frankfurt in the final matchday.

Napoli remain on top of the pile with 53 points, but they cannot afford to be complacent since defending champions Inter Milan are right behind them in second place with 50 points. Antonio Conte’s side is on a superb run of Serie A 2025 results.

This is one of the top matches to watch this weekend, and the pregame SBOTOP betting odds agree.

 

Talking Points

Dovbyk asserts himself for AS Roma

Claudio Ranieri became the 15th coach in Italian top-flight history to reach 200 wins after securing a 2-1 win against Udinese last Sunday. AS Roma were down by one goal after Lorenzo Lucca scored in the 38th minute, but second-half spot-kicks from Lorenzo Pellegrini and Artem Dovbyk helped them secure the victory.

The former Leicester City manager should’ve rotated his side against Eintracht Frankfurt, but he didn’t because they needed a victory to avert an early exit from the Europa League. This time, the duo of Angelino and Eldor Shomurodov steered the Giallorossi to victory.

AS Roma are enjoying a rare injury-free period, so Ranieri should deploy his best team again this Sunday. Mario Hermoso is their only notable loss, as the centre-back has moved to Bayer Leverkusen this winter transfer window.

Artem Dovbyk will assume his lone striker role and is a man in form. The Ukrainian forward has scored in his last three Serie A appearances to take his tally to eight league goals. Dovbyk has also been directly involved in more goals than anyone else over the past six Serie A matchdays – four of his own and two assists.

 

Lukaku to lead Napoli’s front

Artem Dovbyk’s counterpart is former AS Roma striker Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian international has nine league goals to lead Napoli up front this season. He scored the marginal penalty in the 69^th minute to complete his team’s 2-1 comeback win over Juventus last time out.

Napoli are on top of the table not only because of their offence, but also because of their league-best defence that has only conceded 15 league goals. This is impressive on Antonio Conte’s part since he has dealt with injuries to his backline.

The good news for Conte is Mathias Olivera is their sole absentee, as Alessandro Buongiorno will likely be recalled to the bench after a long injury layoff. Leonardo Spinazzola and Juan Jesus will fill in again to join Amir Rrahmani and Giovanni Di Lorenzo at the back against AS Roma.

 

History

AS Roma and Napoli already faced off last November at the Diego Maradona Stadium. The hosts won 1-0, as Romelu Lukaku scored the matchwinner during the 54^th minute via Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s assist.

Napoli are unbeaten nine of their previous 10 Serie A games against AS Roma (W6, D3). The Giallorossi’s last win over the Partenopei was a 2-0 result in December 2023 via goals from Lorenzo Pellegrini and Romelu Lukaku (before he went to Naples).

After a run of four consecutive home wins against Napoli in Serie A, AS Roma have won just two of their last eight home games against them, failing to find the back of the net in three of their most recent four. However, the Giallorossi are seeking three Serie A wins in a row for the first time since March 2024 under Daniele De Rossi.

 

Betting Tip

The Serie A 2025 odds predict a close contest between the Giallorossi and the Partenopei. Napoli have a slight advantage at 2.40, while AS Roma are at 2.79 odds, and a draw is at 3.05 in the 1X2 market. Losing to the league frontrunners is not a shame for the hosts if they do their best.

The Correct Score of 1-0 in favour of Napoli – the result of the reverse fixture last November – has a robust 7.20 offer. If you feel this will be another low-scoring affair, then you can also check out alternatives like Under 2.50 at 1.78, Under 2.25 at 2.05, Under 2.00 at 2.42, and Total Goal 0-1 at 2.83.

   

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