Napoli’s pursuit of the Scudetto continues on Sunday as they travel to struggling Spezia after extending their lead over the competition with another victory last weekend.
In the Serie A rankings, their victory against Roma in the Derby del Sole put them 13 points ahead of their nearest competitors; in contrast, their opponents, who have now dropped back-to-back games, are just above the relegation zone.
The Giallorossi tied the score late in the second half to create a thrilling finish after Victor Osimhen’s amazing opening goal had set the tone for an exciting game. Giovanni Simeone then scored his sixth goal this season while on the bench to give the Partenopei the victory.
After incumbent champions Milan lost last weekend as well, Simeone’s 70th Serie A goal puts them out of reach at the top, and Inter are now their closest rivals.
As is customary for winners, Napoli has scored 19 goals this season in the final half-hour of games, with 12 of those goals coming in the final 15 minutes. On the other hand, they have only given up four times after an hour mark.
The Campanian team would post more than 100 points if they maintained their current rate of play, which is the best average among the top five leagues in Europe in 2022–23. Only Antonio Conte’s Juventus of 2013–14 have ever achieved triple digits in the Italian first flight.
Although they just lost to a Cremonese team in the Coppa Italia, Luciano Spalletti’s team is now the heavy favourite to snap their 33-year Scudetto drought. They will also begin their Champions League campaign later this month.
But between now and then, three seemingly uncomplicated domestic matches are scheduled. In the first one, Napoli travels to a place where they have performed well since Spezia’s defeat.
Spezia has lost the teams’ last two meetings without scoring after suffering a 1-0 loss in the teams’ September rematch, which was played at Stadio Picco, where the teams had met twice in Serie A.
Luca Gotti’s team visited the city last month unbeaten in five league games and with consecutive clean sheets after a good but unspectacular start to the new year. However, they subsequently followed a 2-0 loss to Roma with a similar result in Bologna.
As a result, Spezia have now gone three games without scoring in the league, and only Sampdoria have failed to score in as many Serie A games overall.