Italian Serie A
2008-09-24 - Napoli vs Palermo
A Sports Betting Pick by Gooner
Italy, Serie A
Stadio San Paolo
Wednesday 24th September 2008 - KO 19:30 GMT
Napoli host in-form Palermo at the Stadio San Paolo in the Derby delle Due Sicilie. This one might not be an obvious local derby, but the cities of Naples and Palermo are linked as they were united in the "Kingdom of the Two Sicilies" before Italian Unification in 1860.
And although over 100 miles of water separates the two ports, a ferry service run daily between the two cities.
NAPOLI
Napoli have had a pretty good week, beating Fiorentina 2-1, then defeating Benfica 3-2 in the UEFA Cup, and finally drawing 0-0 at Udinese last weekend in spite of the dismissal of defender Fabiano Santacroce.
Napoli will have to do without Argentine striking star Ezequiel Lavezzi, who is out injured for at least a fortnight. Mariano Bogliacino and Christian Maggio are also injured, while Santacroce is suspended.
PALERMO
Palermo have bounced back from their loss on opening day (and the subsequent sacking of coach Stefano Colantuono) to record two good wins against Roma and Genoa.
The Palermo midfield looks altogether more dynamic in the new system and the Rosanero are growing in confidence, but consistency has been lacking in Sicily in recent times.
The visitors make the trip to the mainland without strikers Fabrizio Miccoli and Igor Budan, who are out of action.
HEAD TO HEAD
Napoli secured a 1-0 win in this fixture last season, and Palermo won the reverse fixture 2-1.
The home advantage has been depleted by a partial fan ban at the Stadio San Paolo that means the games are being played in quieter surroundings than usual.
PROBABLE TEAM LINE-UPS
Iezzo;
Cannavaro, Rinaudo, Aronica;
Montervino, Gargano, Blasi, Pazienza, Vitale;
Denis, Zalayeta
Palermo :
Amelia;
Cassani, Carrozzieri, Bovo, Balzaretti;
Bresciano, Liverani, Nocerino, Simplicio, Cavani;
Succi
THE VERDICT
There is not much to choose between the two sides, but both teams do play much better in front of their own fans.
Napoli had an 11-4-4 home record last season, which compares very favourably to Palermo's 4-4-11 away record and so the venue has me siding with Napoli.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Napoli 1-0 Palermo
BEST BETTING TIP :
Take NAPOLI at quite a high price.
