Roma vs. Napoli live stream: Watch Serie A online
Roma face Napoli at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 14. Here’s all the info you need to watch.
There’s no way to overstate how crucial the Derby del Sole will be when Roma host league leaders Napoli at the Stadio Olimpico. Roma manager Eusebio Di Francesco said of the upcoming match: “I can assure you it will be a wonderful game of football.”
Indeed, the Derby of the Sun, as the game is dubbed because it features two sides hailing from the south of Italy, where temperatures are warmer than the north, features two sides that play a wide-open, free-wheeling style highlighted by 4-3-3 formations. The Partenopei are undefeated, winning all seven league games to date and dominating the standings. They currently hold a two-point edge over defending league champions Juventus. Roma are in fourth place with 15 points after compiling a 5-0-1 record.
While goals are to be expected given how Di Francesco and Maurizio Sarri deploy their lineups, the focus will be on strikers on both sides of the ball. Edin Dzeko and Dries Mertens are the goal scorers for Roma and Napoli, respectively, and finished one and two in the race for top scorer last season.
Although both can score goals (both have seven so far this season), Dzeko and Mertens are nothing alike. Dzeko is powerful both on the ground and in the air. The Bosnian striker, however, is dependent on his supporting cast, such as midfielders Danielle De Rossi, Kevin Strootman and Radja Nainggolan, to help create scoring chances.
The Giallorossi‘s strength is in their ability to allow both full-backs and midfielders to push forward and cross the ball into the penalty box. When they do, the towering Dzeko is usually in position to put the ball into the back of the net either with his head or quick feet. Roma’s biggest weakness is that they’re Dzeko-dependent and a defense such as Napoli’s could very well cancel out whatever prowess he possesses in the box.
Mertens, on the other hand, isn’t dependent on fellow strikers Lorenzo Insigne and Jose Callejon to score. The diminutive Mertens is part of an intricate tactical system instilled by Sarri that focuses on a series of triangle passes to move the ball up field. The quick succession of passes make possession a major part of their game and stops opponents from having the chance to dictate the flow. With the attack building up from the back, all players get the chance to score. Twelve different players have scored the team’s 25 goals this season.
The Belgian striker both creates plays and finishes them. That is Napoli’s biggest strength and it has led them to play some of the most entertaining and effective soccer in all of Europe, even drawing comparisons to Barcelona and the AC Milan teams of the late 1980s and early ’90s. Nonetheless, Napoli have yet to win anything and will find a formidable opponent in Juventus should the title race proceed the way it has since the start of the season.
“Strong teams always give you certain difficulties,” Sarri told the Italian sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of the game. “Until now, [Roma] has won five and lost one with a game in hand. It’s certainly a competitive team, but my Napoli is launched forward.”
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The Serie A game between AS Roma and Napoli will be broadcast live on beIN Sports. Live streaming is available on beIN Sports Connect, which you can access with your cable or satellite subscriptions, either online or through the beIN Sports Connect app.
Date: Saturday, Oct. 14
Start time: 2:45 p.m. ET
Location: Rome, Italy
Stadium: Olympic Stadium
TV Info: beIN Sports
Live Stream: beIN Sports, Fubo.TV
The other major theme of Saturday’s fixture at the Stadio Olimpico is the passion that envelopes it. The high-stakes game is considered “high risk” by Italian authorities when it comes to fan trouble. Fans groups on both sides have a major dislike for one another, something that dates back to when a Napoli supporter was shot and killed by a Roma fan just hours before the Coppa Italia final nearly four years ago.
The game has not been played in the evenings since 2014 due to concerns over fan trouble and ticket sales for Napoli fans have been barred to avoid any confrontations in and around the venue. Here’s to hoping for plenty of action on the field and a safe evening for those watching from the stands.