Sampdoria gained ground in their push for survival in their last game, and now they have a tough clash on their hands when they play host to Serie A leaders Napoli in their next league outing. Sampdoria have nine points so far and are in 18th place after 16 games, while Napoli are top of the table with 41 points. A 2-1 away win over Sassuolo in the last game left Sampdoria five points away from safety and they can close the gap on Spezia, the team right ahead of them. Their goal difference of -20 remains a major concern but having posted the first win in five league games should give them the spring they need to take on the league leaders. That win was also the first time they scored in five league games and the first time they conceded less than two in that run.
Napoli’s 1-0 loss to Inter Milan in the last game was their first defeat in 16 league games this season and their leadership has been slashed to just five points. That defeat stopped a run of 11 straight league wins for Napoli. It was also the first time in 12 league matches that they failed to score. One thing that is undeniable is that Napoli are favorites coming into this game and facing a side that hasn’t done really well in attack will boost this advantage. They have scored two or more goals in eight of their last 10 matches and going into a second straight away game, they know they need three points to keep a comfortable gap at the top. Napoli have beaten Sampdoria in each of their last seven meetings and they have kept clean sheets in each of the last three.
Napoli are clearly the favorites coming into this game and they will be targeting a return to winning ways after their fall away to Inter Milan. They face a side that has struggled for the better part of this season and isn’t doing well in attack, while Napoli remains the best scoring side in the league. For this Sampdoria v Napoli game, we will back a Napoli win with a clean sheet.