Saturday’s Serie A action kicks off at Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi as Hellas Verona and Napoli seek redemption for losing their last league fixtures. Let’s look at our match preview for this contest.
Verona slumped to a 2-1 defeat at newly-promoted Frosinone on the stroke of October’s international break, intensifying pressure on under-fire manager Marco Baroni. After winning his first league games at the helm, the ex-Lecce manager has overseen six consecutive Serie A matches without a victory (D2, L4).
It’s hard to tell whether another season-long fight against the drop is on the cards. However, Rossoblu are flirting with the relegation territory again. They languish only two places above 18th-placed Empoli, albeit with a four-point lead on the downtrodden Azzurri. Yet Baroni must stem the bleeding before it’s too late.
Speaking imperatives, Napoli boss Rudi Garcia is dancing on the edge of a cliff. A disappointing 2-1 home loss to Fiorentina before the international break prompted speculation about the Frenchman’s future at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Several candidates have emerged as his potential successors already.
Aurelio De Laurentiis isn’t the most patient club president in Serie A. And since Garcia’s underwhelming start to life at Napoli (W4, D2, L2), he might not last long in southern Italy. The reigning champions already trail table-topping Milan by seven points, highlighting the importance of winning in Venetia.
Match Preview
Hellas Verona
Last season’s relegation playoff victors have established themselves as one of the least exciting teams in Serie A this term. After tallying three goals in their first two league outings, Verona have only netted twice in their last six, casting doubt on their hopes of maintaining their recent scoring record against Napoli.
Before a goalless draw at the Maradona Stadium in their last Serie A meeting, Verona had found the net in five consecutive games against Partenopei. But they have drawn a blank in back-to-back home league matches in the build-up to this contest and are at risk of making it three straight top-flight games at the Bentegodi without scoring for the first time since April 2021.
Player to Watch: Milan Djuric
Despite struggling with regular first-team chances at Verona, the towering striker deserves the benefit of the doubt. His late header against Frosinone means he has bagged seven of his last nine goals with his head. He could be a super-sub.
Napoli
While they’ve yet to lose on the road this season, consistency has been an issue for Napoli. They’ve alternated between winning and drawing across their five competitive travels in 2023/24 (W3, D2), most recently hammering Baroni’s former side Lecce 4-0. But there’s a silver lining, considering they’ve kept back-to-back clean sheets on hostile turf.
Before that run, Napoli had gone six successive away matches without a shutout. Ominously for Partenopei, they’ve not only failed to fend off Verona in their last three top-flight H2Hs at the Bentegodi. They conceded multiple goals twice in that stretch. However, a 5-2 win in this corresponding fixture in 2022/23 can put the smiles back on their faces.
Player to Watch: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
As one of the most heavily criticized Napoli players this season, Kvaratskhelia will be under the spotlight. The Georgian star has only made four goal contributions for his club since the start of April (G1, A3) but racked up two goals and one assist during the international break.
Team News
Injuries to numerous first-team players cannot inspire much confidence around the Verona camp. Isak Hien, Ajdin Hrustic, Jayden Braaf, Josh Doig, Pawel Dawidowicz, and Juan Cabal are all on the sidelines.
As for Napoli, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Victor Osimhen will stay home to accelerate their recoveries, while there’s a slight chance Juan Jesus could return to the fold after a lengthy spell in the treatment room.
Hellas Verona vs Napoli Potential Lineups
Hellas Verona (3-4-2-1): Lorenzo Montipo; Bruno Amione, Diego Coppola, Giangiacomo Magnani; Filippo Terracciano, Ondrej Duda, Michael Folorunsho, Darko Lazovic; Tomas Suslov, Cyril Ngonge; Federico Bonazzoli.
Napoli (4-3-3): Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Natan, Mario Rui; Jens Cajuste, Stanislav Lobotka, Piotr Zielinski; Matteo Politano, Giovanni Simeone, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Hellas Verona vs Napoli Prediction
Without Osimhen and Anguissa, Napoli might have a hard time finding a way past Verona’s backline that has conceded one goal or fewer in four of their last five Serie A matches. Much will depend on Kvaratskhelia, but we can envisage another dismal result for the defending champions.
Prediction: Draw
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