Antonio Conte’s Napoli opened the door to Inter Milan on Saturday as a 2-2 draw away to Lazio left I Partenopei at risk of being knocked off the top of the Serie A table on Sunday night.
After a late goal from Lazio substitute Boulaye Dia gave the hosts a draw, Napoli’s lead at the top of the table was limited to two points with I Nerazzurri facing a tough test away to Juventus. Lazio versus Napoli was one the SBOTOP picks of the weekend and it was an action packed clash from start to finish as Denmark star Gustav Isaksen gave the hosts a lead with a spectacular strike from distance which clipped the underside of the crossbar before nestling in the Napoli net. And the league leaders took a lead, midway through the second half, when Lazio defender Adam Marusic scored an own goal and, despite not being at their best for much of the game it looked like Napoli would hang on for a crucial victory, until Dia fired home the leveller with just three minutes remaining.
While Napoli have now gone ten games unbeaten in the league they have dropped six points already in February, drawing 1-1 with both Udinese and Roma before Saturday’s tussle in Rome. And Marco Baroni’s Lazio have been a real irritation to Conte’s men this season having beaten them in the Coppa Italia in December as well as taking all three points in a 1-0 league victory in the same month.
Lazio are fourth in the league and going well in the Europa League so this was never going to be an easy game for Napoli…but Conte’s men let this one slip.
La Dea fail to take advantage
Third placed Atalanta have a lot of work to do in their Champions League play-off second leg after losing the first half in Brugge; and Gian Piero Gasperini made a host of changes for La Dea’s home game against 13th placed Cagliari. And after they played out an unusual 0-0 draw the latest Serie 2025 betting odds say Atalanta are drifting out of the race.
Gasperini rang the changes, leaving key players Charles de Ketelaere, Marten de Roon and Ederson on the bench and, despite dominating the first half La Dea failed to break through a stubborn Cagliari defence. The head coach brought his rested trio on in the second half but it was a toothless display from Atalanta who registered only nine shots and just two on target. Strangely off colour, maybe Gasperini’s men had more than one eye on the Champions League second leg after Club Brugges snatched a 2-1 lead in Belgium thanks to a controversial penalty award deep in stoppage time.
A league win against Cagliari would have lifted Atalanta to within three points of Napoli but they too have handed Inter Milan a boost.
Conceicao’s Milan are making a move
After a subdued first half of the campaign I Rossoneri have enjoyed a good February under new manager Sergio Conceicao, following up a draw in the Derbi Di Milano with a 3-1 Coppa Italia victory over Roma and back to back wins in Serie A, to move up to seventh place in the league and in contention for the European places. Milan won 2-0 away to Empoli last week and on Saturday they battled to a 1-0 victory at home to Hellas Verona.
I Rossoneri were totally dominant over their struggling visitors, with over 70 per cent possession and 18 shots to seven but they only managed three on target. January recruit Kyle Walker has featured heavily since his arrival from Manchester City, making three league appearances and also featuring in the Coppa and Champions League. But Conceicao hooked the England man at half time amidst a raft of changes he made in search of a goal. And it finally came, on 75 minutes, when Rafael Leao teed up Santiago Gimenez who lifted the roof of the San Siro Stadium with a well directed header.
The win took AC Milan into seventh and ahead of Bologna who won a five goal thriller on Friday night, thanks to a late own goal from Torino debutant Cristiano Biraghi.
Milan’s Serie A 2025 results have certainly seen an uptick under their new head coach but, with a second leg Champions League play-off against Feyenoord to play this week and a one goal deficit to make up; there is no rest for I Rossoneri on their road to recovery.
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