“It’s my fault that there’s no friendship any more, ” said Bagni some time later. “I regret doing it. ”Hopefully the match on Sunday will be about the action on the pitch. Napoli have been relentless this season, picking up 50 points in the first half of the campaign and building a 12-point lead at the top of the Serie A table. They also have a great record against Roma, having won their last six meetings – the most recent of which ended with Roma not having a single shot on target. But Roma will be no pushovers. They are unbeaten since November and have kept three clean sheets in their last four games. Mourinho will be desperate to take the club back into the Champions League after a four-year absence and, having celebrated his 60th birthday this week, he will be hoping his present arrives on Sunday.
Napoli v Roma: the Derby del Sole heats up with title talk in the airNapoli are flying high at the top of the Serie A table and Roma are in scintillating form, having put together a six-game unbeaten run that dates back to November. The nascent strike partnership between Tammy Abraham and Paulo Dybala is lighting up the Stadio Olimpico, which hitherto had to endure José Mourinho parking his bus. With Napoli desperate to win their first Scudetto since 1990 and Roma vying for a Champions League place, the Derby del Sole on Sunday – the latest meeting in this 97-year rivalry – is not a game to be missed. Napoli and Roma have been entertaining fans since their first meeting in 1928, which Roma won 4-1.
The game is likely to be a tight affair, given that both sides have conceded less than a goal a game this season, but the two clubs have thrown up some classics down the years. A great Roma win: Roma 5-2 Napoli, February 1983The Roma team from the 1982-83 season. Photograph: AlamyRoma were top of the Serie A table when Napoli visited in February 1983. This should have been an easy game as Napoli – with creaking stalwart Luciano Castellini, ageing superstar Ruud Krol and up-and-coming foreign talents such as Ramón Díaz – were misfiring and in danger of going down. Title nerves were beginning to show, though, as Roma chased the second Scudetto in their history.
Gervinho inspired Roma to a 3-2 win in the first leg in Rome, but Napoli, under new manager Rafa Benítez, had a huge amount of firepower in Gonzalo Higuain, Dries Mertens, Marek Hamsik and José Callejón. Excitement in Naples grew when whispers of Diego Maradona’s first appearance in the city for nine years became louder and louder. Come kick-off, however, there was no sight of him. Although, another icon of Italian football would be definitely watching the game from the beginning: Francesco Totti was benched by Roma boss Rudi Garcia. The game lived up to its billing, with both teams having early chances to score. As play progressed, Napoli rose to the excitement of the crowd and started to put on an exhibition.
Roma’s flowing passing game was turned against them early on, however, and Díaz opened the scoring for Napoli. Roma soon started to dominate and, after equalising from a set play, Ancelotti scored a screamer from the edge of the box to give them a half-time lead. After the interval Di Bartolomei made it three with a delightful strike from 35 yards out, before lashing in another long-range beauty from a free-kick for a fourth. The technical quality of all three goals from midfield remains hugely impressive to this day. Pruzzo added a fifth and Roma never looked back. They went on to secure the league title, playing a brand of football modern teams would be proud to call their own. A great Napoli win: Napoli 3-0 Roma, 2014Diego Maradona watches on as Napoli beat Roma to reach the Coppa Italia final. Photograph: Giuseppe Bellini/Getty ImagesThe second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final in 2014 had all the ingredients of a classic.
The legendary Milan player and manager Nils Liedholm had taken the team on a long unbeaten run, but their form was stuttering. Away draws against Torino, Verona and Ascoli meant that the enormously talented squad hadn’t entirely put the title race to bed. The team contained one of the greatest midfields the league has ever seen: Falcão, who had lit up the World Cup the year before for Brazil, provided creativity and cutting edge; Carlo Ancelotti and Herbert Prohaska contained and set up attacks; and Agostino Di Bartolomei shielded the defence with his passing. Add winger Bruno Conti and striker “bomber” Roberto Pruzzo, who was in red-hot form this season, and the five goals they scored against Napoli seem like an underachievement.
After 33 minutes, Christian Maggio delivered a wonderful cross for Callejón to ghost through the static Roma defence and head home. It would be a goal he would repeat many times in his Napoli career. Napoli went on the attack in the raucous Stadio San Paolo. Hamsik nearly scored with an outrageous 40-yard lob, but the tie remained level on aggregate as the teams went into the dressing room at half-time. Firecrackers and roars greeted the second half as Maradona took his seat in the stadium. He was typically excitable when Higuaín scored a header to give Napoli a 4-3 lead in the tie. It was one big party, with Napoli fans celebrating their past and current glories.
Napoli vs AS Roma Head to HeadA complete record of competitive matches played between the two teams, This page lists the head-to-head record of Napoli vs AS Roma including biggest victories and defeats between the two sides, and H2H stats in all competitions. The Soccer Teams Napoli and AS Roma played 31 Games up to today. Among them, Napoli won 13 games ( 7 at Maradona Stadium, 6 at Stadio Olimpico away), AS Roma won 11 (4 at Stadio Olimpico, 7 at Maradona Stadium away), and drew 7 (4 at Maradona Stadium, 3 at Stadio Olimpico).
Things have not always been this way. The clubs previously enjoyed good relations but things turned sour in 1987 – during the most successful period in Napoli’s history – when a bad-tempered match in Rome ended with Napoli midfielder Salvatore Bagni clenching his fist – the gesto dell’ombrello – at the crowd. The friendship between the ultras was damaged and the rivalry changed.
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Napoli vs. AS Roma live stream: Serie A prediction, TV