Hundreds of Lazio fans see off unbeaten leaders at Rome's

Hundreds of Lazio fans see off unbeaten leaders at Rome's Termini station

Gattuso, Frattesi and the injured captain Zaccagni got the warmest welcome before the trip south. The usual chant against Naples was heard as well.

by Gennaro SanninoSaturday 7 November, 18:16 CET· 4 hours ago

Lo stadio Diego Armando Maradona di Napoli

Lo stadio Diego Armando Maradona — Foto: Tarkus42 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Hundreds of Lazio supporters went to Rome's Termini station on Saturday 7 November to see the team off to Naples. The warmest embraces went to Gattuso, Frattesi and Zaccagni, the captain, who will miss Sunday's game with a quadriceps tear. Some players looked caught off guard by so much affection. The usual chant against Naples and its people was not missing either.

Lazio arrive at the Maradona top of the table and unbeaten: 28 points from nine wins and a draw. Napoli are ninth on 14, fourteen points behind, after back-to-back defeats to Juventus and Porto. Few away fans will be inside the stadium: the prefect (the state's local authority) has banned ticket sales to residents of the Lazio region.

Gattuso has already set out his plan: "Our aim is to bite high up the pitch so they can't keep the ball, and to fight for the second balls." He admits he does not know how Allegri will line up: "They could start with a back three, they could switch to four, we don't know."

The two build-ups could not be more different. Lazio left to hugs; Napoli come into the game from the training retreat in Pozzuoli ordered by the president. Kick-off is on Sunday 8 November at 12:30 CET (11:30 UK, 06:30 ET), and it will show which side has read the moment better.