One could conclude that Lazio pulled off a serious upset on Thursday night, eliminating the Serie A leaders, Napoli, from the Coppa Italia with a 3-1 win at Stadio Olimpico.However, it should be noted that the Partenopei boss, Antonio Conte, rotated his squad so much that he changed the entire starting XI.Conte gave his reserves a chance at the big stage, but they failed to successfully replace Romelu Lukaku, Scott McTominay, and others.The Biancocelesti celebrated a much-deserved victory in front of their thrilled fans and Napoli’s charismatic president, Aurelio De Laurentiis. Interestingly, he was seen literally sleeping in the stands in the early phase of the game, which probably tells you a lot about the importance this competition carries for this man.De Laurentiis dorme palesemente durante la partita del Napoli a Roma 😂 pic.twitter.com/ttuN3Isu2j— Antonio Rudy Guede (@DaznForza) December 5, 2024 Things will change dramatically on Sunday night, though, as Napoli and Lazio face off again, only this time in the Serie A.Napoli have only lost two games from 14 in Serie A this season, scoring 21 goals and conceding just nine.”I am not disappointed, except for the elimination,” Conte told Sport Mediaset (via TuttoNapoli).”We must be angry. We knew this decision could expose us to some risks. I had to do it because many players had never played a competitive match this season, except for the one against Palermo (in the Coppa Italia).”It was fair to give playing time to those who work hard during the week. We had a good start [in Serie A], and it’s their merit too. We are sorry we were eliminated but had to make certain decisions.”SERIE A – MATCHDAY 15Friday 20.30: (1.20) Inter (7.25) Parma (12.0)22.45: (2.15) Atalanta (3.50) Milan (3.60)Saturday 17.00: (2.50) Genoa (3.20) Torino (3.20)20.00: (1.75) Juventus (3.60) Bologna (5.60)22.45: (1.60) Roma (3.90) Lecce (7.00)Sunday 14.30: (1.52) Fiorentina (4.20) Cagliari (6.25)17.00: (2.60) Verona (3.15) Empoli (3.10)20.00: (2.85) Venezia (3.30) Como (2.70)22.45: (1.90) Napoli (3.60) Lazio (4.50)Monday 22.45: (2.70) Monza (3.00) Udinese (2.90)***odds are subject to change***
