Italy Seria A – Napoli-Sampdoria

Napoli hosts Sampdoria in a match from the 18th round of the Italian Serie A.

After Inter’s surprising loss against Udinese, Napoli managed to return at the top of the league. The Azzurri currently have 42 points won so far and one point advantage in front of the champion Juventus. Inter is now third with 40 points, trailing on two points behind the leader.

Napoli had to swallow two consecutive games without a win in the Serie A, before enjoying three points against Torino in the last round. It was a must win game for Maurizio Sarri’s boys, because it would have been too much for them to not win in a third consecutive game.

For Napoli it’s a real goal to challenge for the title this season. Juventus are not dominating the league in their usual way, which is allowing teams like Napoli, Inter and Roma to dream for the first place. If they show enough consistency, this could be their season. Napoli’s fans are waiting for another Serie A title from much, much time already.

Sampdoria on the other hand are 6th in the Serie A standings, with a game in hand. Samp have 27 points won so far and a record of 8 wins, 3 draws and 5 defeats. It could have been much better for Sampdoria, if it was not their run of four consecutive matches without a win. Samp won just one point in their last four games, losing three of them.

Can Sampdoria stop their negative run against the current leader in the Serie A? You can be sure that Napoli will want to win this match, because not winning it could mean losing the first place. Juventus and Inter are very, very close to them and they feel their presence. It’s a must win for Sarri’s team.