Napoli trail Serie A leaders Juventus by six points after a goalless draw with Udinese on Monday, Napoli’s third consecutive Serie A draw, while Lazio maintained their Champions League ambitions by beating Pescara 2-0.
Having gone into the weekend four points behind the Bianconeri, Walter Mazzarri’s team dropped two valuable points as Napoli is going through a bad patch of form at the worst possible time. Last week they were knocked out of the Europa League, and unless they can beat Juventus on Friday, their title hopes will end also.
It was a frustrating game for Napoli who failed to break down a stubborn Udinese side. The best opportunities at the Stadio Friuli both fell to Edinson Cavani, but each time Serie A’s top scorer was left frustrated.
The first came nine minutes before the break when the Uruguay striker met Pablo Armero’s cross, only for Danielle Padelli to push his header to safety, while in the second period the same players combined again. This time, Cavani hooked an effort wide after the left-back had got to the byline and pulled back a ball which was slightly behind the waiting striker.
Lazio moved above AC Milan into third position, and to within five points of Napoli, thanks to a 2-0 home win against Pescara. First-half goals, both thunderous long-range strikes, from Ștefan Radu and Senad Lulić sent the visitors to their sixth loss in seven league outings.