Italian Serie A
2008-12-13 - Napoli vs Lecce
A Sports Betting Pick by Gooner
Football: Italy, Serie A
Saturday, 13th December 2008 - Kickoff 19:30
Napoli are continuing their fight for a Champions League spot and will have high hopes against a Lecce side that does not travel well.
Napoli (4th - Home : 6-1-0 15:5)
Napoli's rise this season has been almost entirely due to their fine form in front of their own fans at the Stadio San Paolo where they are still unbeaten after seven games.
A 2-0 win over Siena here last weekend was a solid result, but with places very tight in the top six Napoli must make certain of picking up maximum points against mediocre opposition.
Napoli Team News :
Goalkeeper Gennaro Iezzo is still out, so 23-year-old Nicolas Navarro stays between the sticks.
Marcelo Zalayeta may well make way for German Denis to form an all-Argentine strike partnership with Ezequiel Lavezzi. Luigi Vitale is also an alternative for Daniele Mannini wide left in Reja’s 3-5-2 system.
Lecce (16th - Away : 0-3-4 4:11)
Lecce are one of those sides that can frustrate teams, as although they have not won on the road yet, they have managed three draws in their first seven away games including a creditable 1-1 draw at LAzio.
Lecce were also a little unlucky last weekend, losing 1-2 at home to Juventus only after conceding a 90th minute header.
But it's been 10 games now since Lecce last won a Serie A fixture, and that sort of run has a way of damaging the confidence and perpetuating a run of bad results.
Lecce Team News :
Lecce are still missing Andrea Ardito (back) and Andrea Zanchetta (muscular), while Daniele Cacia is set to start after scoring a sensational volley against Juve last week.
The former Fiorentina and Piacenza starlet gets the chance because Jose Castillo is in doubt with a muscular problem.
Probable Teams :
Navarro;
Santacroce, Cannavaro, Contini;
Maggio, Blasi, Gargano, Hamsik, Vitale;
Zalayeta, Lavezzi
Lecce :
Benussi;
Schiavi, Stendardo, Fabiano, Esposito;
Munari, Giacomazzi, Vives, Ariatti;
Cacia, Tiribocchi
The Verdict
This one looks to be a solid home win for Napoli and the price of 1.50+ (1/2) is more than I expected to see given Napoli's fine home record.
The Statistics :
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Pick :
Napoli 2-0 Lecce
BEST BETTING TIP :
I'll take NAPOLI at any price of 1.50 or above
