Napoli v Lazio: Preview, predicted line-ups & team news as Allegri's side face the Serie A leaders

Lazio go into Sunday's lunchtime kick-off top of Serie A, and Napoli are the next side asked to stop them.

Gennaro Gattuso took over in the summer after Maurizio Sarri left by mutual consent in May. He has turned Lazio into the division's form team. They have won nine of their ten league games and drawn the other, a 2-2 with AC Milan in September.

Napoli's summer went the other way. The previous manager left by mutual consent in May and Massimiliano Allegri took over in July. Italian press coverage this weekend describes the manager as under pressure after a 2-0 defeat at Juventus on 1 November.

Lazio have 28 points from 10 games, three clear of Inter. Their away record is the best in the division: five wins from five, 14 goals scored and only three conceded. Last Tuesday they won 6-2 at Sassuolo, and on 18 October they won 3-0 at Juventus.

They have also kept four clean sheets and failed to score in none of their ten games. At home they have been less secure, conceding five in five games at the Olimpico, but the visitors do not look like a side who need much of a head start.

Napoli are eighth on 14 points after four wins, two draws and four defeats. The Juventus loss followed a 4-1 win at Monza on 28 October and a 3-3 draw at home to AS Roma on 24 October. The week before that they lost 1-0 at bottom-three side Venezia.

At the Maradona they have won two, drawn one and lost one in four games, scoring eight. The attack is functioning. The problem is the 13 goals conceded, which is more than their underlying numbers suggest.

Lazio's last ten league games read nine wins and one draw, with no defeats. Napoli's read four wins, two draws and four defeats, and they have lost twice in their last four. The gap is wide, but Lazio's schedule has been generous: Cagliari, Parma, Monza and Sassuolo all sit in the bottom half. The 3-0 win at Juventus is the exception, and Napoli lost at the same ground by two goals a week ago. Napoli's own form is patchy rather than poor. They have beaten Monza away by three and drawn with Roma, so the quality is there. It is the consistency that is missing.

Lazio top the table on 28 points from 10 games, three ahead of second-placed Inter and four clear of Roma, who are third on 24. A win would stretch the lead, and it would also give Gattuso a clear gap at the top.

Napoli are eighth on 14 points from 10 games, three behind Juventus in seventh and nine adrift of fourth-placed Como on 23. They are not in a relegation fight, as Monza in 18th have 7 points. A defeat would leave Napoli 14 points off the top and with the top-four race slipping away. A win would pull them level with the chasing pack.

Across the last 10 meetings, Lazio have won five, Napoli three and two have been drawn. The average is 2.3 goals per game, and both teams have scored in five of the 10 (50%). The same number (50%) have gone over 2.5 goals. The most recent meeting was a 2-0 Lazio win at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on 18 April 2026.

The pattern points to tight games rather than shootouts, and it has leaned towards the away side. Home advantage has not counted for much, as the visiting side won four of the last six league meetings. This season's numbers say Lazio should score, given they have scored in all ten games, but 50% in both goals markets argues for caution on a big total. Lazio's 1-0 and 2-0 wins in Naples suggest one-goal margins are common.

Lazio score 2.4 goals a game and concede 0.8. Napoli score 1.7 and concede 1.3. Lazio have the clear edge on the scoreboard, and they have also taken more of the ball, averaging 54.2% possession against Napoli's 51.6%.

The underlying numbers are closer. Lazio's expected goals against is 1.13 per game, against 0.88 for Napoli, which suggests Lazio have been better at keeping goals out than their chances conceded would predict. That tends to even out. Napoli's expected goals for is only slightly below Lazio's, so the attacks are nearer than the results suggest. Napoli have been a little unlucky at the back and Lazio a little fortunate, but Lazio still hold the advantage on form.

Both sides lined up in a 4-3-3 in their last league games, and we expect the same shapes again. Napoli look likely to keep faith with the side beaten at Juventus, while Lazio have no reason to change a winning team.

Napoli: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Marianucci, Marín, Olivera; De Bruyne, Zambo Anguissa, McTominay; Politano, Lucca, Lang

Lazio: Belahyane; Mandas, Zaccagni, Taylor, Tavares; Floriani Mussolini, Frattesi, Isaksen; Noslin, Provstgaard, Šutalo

Napoli v Lazio kicks off at 11:30 GMT on Sunday 8 November at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. It is live on DAZN.

The strongest angle is Lazio's away record. They have won five from five on the road, scoring 2.8 goals a game and conceding 0.6, and Napoli have conceded in seven of their ten league games. That points to a Lazio win in a game with goals at both ends, and the bet builder below leans on that.