Friday offers a very interesting betting lineup, and this day brings us several opening matches of the eighteenth round of the Italian Serie A. Among a sea of intriguing encounters, this time we have prepared for you a match that will be played at the “Diego Armando Maradona” stadium, where Napoli will host Monza. The start of the match between these two teams is scheduled for 18:30.
Napoli: The current champion of Italy is really struggling this season!
Right from the start, it was hard to expect the Neapolitans to repeat last season, in which the team, against all odds, clinched the Italian championship title in a very convincing manner, with the championship question hardly being in doubt. Spalletti’s decision to leave the club at the end of the season was somewhat surprising, and his replacement by Rudi Garcia turned out to be a misstep. The former coach of Roma, Lille, and Lyon was quickly dismissed, and Walter Mazzarri was appointed in his place, which was also a very strange move by the club’s top brass, but let’s go step by step.
Napoli started the championship well, showing that they would be a serious contender for the Scudetto this season too. However, a very poor run of results followed, leading to Garcia’s dismissal. The worst part is that the team from southern Italy didn’t start performing better even after Mazzarri’s arrival. In the last five matches, the team from the “Diego Armando Maradona” stadium secured two victories and suffered three defeats. In the last round, the Neapolitans played another very poor match, this time away against Roma, ending in a 2:0 loss. Another major issue is that the current Italian champion lost Osimhen and Politano in that match due to red cards, and they won’t be able to help their teammates in the match against Monza.
Adding to that, Mazzarri won’t be able to count on Lobotka, Natan, Elmas, and Olivera, it seems Napoli faces a tough task against a relaxed Monza coming to the “Maradona”. At home, the currently seventh-placed team in the championship has played eight matches, securing only three victories, one draw, and suffering four defeats, which is certainly too much for a team that still harbors championship ambitions this season, although it’s already clear that, unfortunately, it won’t come to fruition. Finally, the last head-to-head encounter between these two teams was played in mid-May, when Monza hosted and won more easily than expected with a 2:0 victory, noting that Napoli had already secured the top spot on the table at that time.
Monza: Survival Shouldn’t Be a Problem!
Monza lingered in the lower leagues for many years, but then the club was bought by the now late Silvio Berlusconi, along with his long-time closest associate Galliani, and from there, the club began to rise slowly but surely. After several unsuccessful attempts in a row, Monza finally achieved promotion to the top tier of Italian football in late May 2022, by eliminating Pisa with an aggregate score of 4:3, marking the team’s first-ever participation in the top flight. Last season was commendable, as the team was never in the danger zone and ultimately, Raffaele Palladino’s men finished the championship mid-table.
Despite this, the primary goal this time around is to maintain their status in the elite division of Italian football. Currently, Monza is in eleventh place on the table, six points behind seventh-placed Napoli. It’s known that the seventh spot is the last one that leads to European competition at the end of the season – specifically to the Conference League qualifiers. Moreover, Monza is visiting a recently underperforming Napoli this round, presenting an ideal opportunity for this likable team to close the gap to just three points behind the seventh-placed team, potentially joining the fight for a spot that leads to Europe’s third-tier club competition. In their last five matches, Palladino’s men have secured just one victory, along with one draw and three defeats, the latest of which occurred in the previous round when they were defeated 0:1 at home by Fiorentina.
Even before that, Monza, owned by Adriano Galliani, didn’t fare well, losing 3:0 away to Milan, with the last championship triumph for the eleventh-placed team being about twenty days ago at home against Genoa, ending 1:0. In away games so far, Palladino’s charges have played eight matches, achieving two victories, the same number of draws, but also four defeats, suggesting that the Lombardy team faces a tough task visiting a weakened Napoli.
Our Betting Suggestions
After several rather weak matches in a row, Napoli simply must win in this encounter against the quite formidable Monza to stay in the race for the fourth position, which at the end of the championship grants a place in the Champions League. Mozzartbet offers odds of 1.67 for a home side win (fr 1).
It’s very possible that the Neapolitans, after a few disastrous performances in the league, will take out their frustration on Monza, so it’s quite realistic to try the combination bet of 1-1&ov 2.5 goals with a fantastic odd of 3.50 at Mozzartbet.
Finally, it seems likely that we will witness a very efficient duel at the “Diego Armando Maradona” stadium, so we suggest focusing on the over 3.5 goals bet, all with an odd of 3.15 at Mozzartbet.
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