Mission accomplished! Napoli triumphed in their Serie A Week 9 match against Lecce on Saturday, October 26, 2024, at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium in Naples, Italy. This victory is crucial as it keeps Napoli firmly in first place in the league standings. With this win, they now have 22 points, leading Inter by 5 points and Juventus by 6, who are set to play tomorrow at San Siro. Lecce, on the other hand, remains in the relegation zone with just 5 points.

Napoli secured another win, albeit by a slim margin, in a challenging match that was decided in the second half thanks to a decisive tap-in from Di Lorenzo. As the game drew to a close, the home team seemed to falter, allowing Lecce to create some threats, but they couldn't find the equalizer.

In the 73rd minute, Napoli took the lead as Giovanni Di Lorenzo scored with a right-footed shot from close range, getting past Lecce's goalkeeper Wladimiro Falcone following a corner that was given after Ylber Ramadani's mistake. Di Lorenzo, who had a goal disallowed in the first half, could finally celebrate this one, which was enough to clinch the victory and bring joy to the supporters at the Maradona.

Stats before the game

Napoli has amassed 19 points from their first eight matches in this season's championship, boasting a record of 6 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss. In the history of the three-point win system, they have only surpassed this point total after eight games on three occasions: in the 2017/18 and 2021/22 seasons with 24 points each, and in 2022/23 with 20 points.

Additionally, Napoli has achieved clean sheets in four out of their last five Serie A matches, winning four and drawing one, with a total score of 10-1. Since early September 2024, they have only allowed one goal in Serie A, tying with Juventus for the best defensive record, while only Leipzig in the top five European leagues has performed better with no goals conceded.

They have a strong record against Lecce, remaining unbeaten in their last four encounters (2 wins, 2 draws) and not allowing any goals in the last two matches. Interestingly, Napoli has never achieved three consecutive clean sheets against Lecce in Serie A history.

Lecce has struggled offensively this season, scoring the least number of goals in the top five European leagues for 2024/25, with just three to their name. Additionally, they have conceded 18 goals, a significant portion of which came in their recent match against Fiorentina. This leaves them with a goal difference of -15, better only than Montpellier, who sit at -18. On the other hand, among the leading teams in the overall standings of the 2024/25 Big 5 European leagues, Napoli stands out as the only team with an average ball possession that ranks outside the top three in their league, sitting at 47.3%, which is the 11th best in Serie A.

Lecce made 12 attempts on goal following an offensive ball recovery, which means they were within 40 meters of the opponent's net. Only Juventus (16), Lazio, and Napoli (both with 13) have recorded more shots in the league. Antonio Conte began his football journey in the Lecce youth academy and made his Serie A debut on April 6, 1986, against Pisa at just 16 years and 249 days old. His first and only goal for Lecce in the top division came during a match against Napoli, where Lecce lost 3-2 on November 5, 1989.

Player Stats

Romelu Lukaku is on the verge of reaching 100 active contributions in Serie A, needing just a goal or an assist against Lecce to do so, with his current tally standing at 73 goals and 26 assists. He has scored three times in six matches against the Giallorossi, with all goals coming in the first leg of the championship: in 2019 and 2022 while playing for Inter, and in 2023 with Roma.

This upcoming match will feature the two players who have made the most attempts from outside the box this season: Nikola Krstovic, who has 15, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who has 12. Moreover, Krstovic leads the total shots category with 35, while Kvaratskhelia is ahead in shots taken after a five-meter run with the ball, totaling 14.



Photo via x.com/en_sscnapoli