Overview
After a strong start to the season, Napoli have been on the decline since their 3-0 defeat to Atalanta. Opponents have found a way to counter Antonio Conte's style of play and have made things difficult for them. Since the defeat to Atalanta in early November, Napoli have won just 2, drawn 1 and lost 3.
Notably, two consecutive defeats against Lazio caused Napoli to be eliminated from the Coppa Italia, and also lost the leading position in Serie A. Clearly, Conte's team is facing many difficulties.
The good news for Napoli is that they have been good on the road, unbeaten in their last six games, including four wins. A big part of that run has been their defensive solidity, with five clean sheets in those six games.
Napoli will have the chance to end their disappointing run of form when they visit Udinese. The last time Udinese defeated Napoli was at the end of the 2015-2016 season. Since then, the two teams have met 17 times and Napoli remains unbeaten with 14 wins and 3 draws.
Udinese are in poor form with only 1 win, 1 draw and 3 losses in the last 5 matches. Home ground is also not a strong point for Udinese as they have lost 3/7 matches in Serie A. They also have difficulty in attacking, not scoring any goals in the last 2 home matches.
Despite their poor form, Napoli is still the top team in Serie A this season and is considered better than Udinese. If they play at their best, victory will be difficult to escape Napoli's hands.
Human resources situation
Udinese will be without goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, who has undergone surgery on a wrist injury. He will be replaced by Razvan Savat, while Lorenzo Lucca and Florian Thauvin continue to lead the attack.
On the other side of the front line, Napoli are without Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who is out with a knee injury. He will likely be replaced by David Neres, thereby combining with Romelu Lukaku in attack.
Expected lineup:
Udinese: Sava, Ehizibue, Bijol, Gianetti, Zemura, Zarraga, Lovric, Karlstrom, Ekkelenkamp, Thauvin, Lucca.
Napoli: Meret, Di Lorenzo, Buongiorno, Rrahmani, Olivera, McTominay, Lobotka, Anguissa, Neres, Lukaku, Politano.
The match between Udinese and Napoli takes place at 0:00 on the morning of December 15 (Vietnam time).
