Italian Serie A
2008-11-09 - Napoli vs Sampdoria
A Sports Betting Pick by Gooner
Italy Serie A
Sunday 9th November 2008 - Kickoff 15:00
Not since the heady days of Diego Maradona have Napoli been battling at the top of Serie A - can it continue on Sunday afternoon?
Napoli (4th 6-2-2 14:8)
Napoli were actually "top of the table" last weekend, until they went down to AC Milan, being somewhat unlucky to lose 0-1 to a late Milan goal despite playing for 50 minutes with only 10 men.
But Napoli still proved they are more than early season bloomera quick flash and they currently sit in 4th place and could reach a Champions League targets this season.
Manager Edy Roja said "We were really good against the Rossoneri and definitely deserved something more"
Team News :
Ex Sampdoria player Christian Maggio has been banned for one week so Luigi Vitale will step in to replace Maggio.
Fabiano Santacroce is doubtful but should make it while Marcelo Zalayeta is still out so German Denis and Ezequiel Lavezzi will be once again be strike partners.
Sampdoria (15th 2-4-3 7:11)
Sampdoria are perhaps doing better than their league position suggests, having won the last two games in a row to lift up the table - and they also have their postponed game against Roma to play (sometime in January).
However, Sampdoria's away form is not good at 0-1-3, and their 3-5-2 formation quickly seems to degenerate into a much more defenisve 5-3-2 system when playing on the road.
Team News :
Angelo Palombo and Hugo Campagnaro are still out with long-term injuries, and Sampdoria will also be without Stefano Lucchini and Paolo Sammarco, who has a broken rib.
Jonathan Bottinelli may also be unavailable due to a trip to Argentina for family reasons.
Head to Head
Just a single pair of recent meetings between the two clubs, when they faced off last season.
Napoli won the first game 2-0 in Naples in September, while Sampdoria got their revenge in the return match later in the season.
PROBABLE TEAMS
Iezzo;
Santacroce, P.Cannavaro, Contini;
Mannini, Blasi, Gargano, Hamsik, Vitale;
Denis, Lavezzi
Sampdoria :
Castellazzi;
Bottinelli, Gastaldello, Accardi;
Padalino, Delvecchio, Sammarco, Franceschini, Pieri;
Bellucci, Cassano
THE VERDICT
Napoli are riding high at the moment especially at home, and the parochial Naples crowd always make it a tough place for any visiting team.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Napoli 2-0 Sampdoria
BEST BETTING TIP :
I make this one a strong home win chance for NAPOLI and will definately take those prices on offer.
