Back to Serie A proceedings following an underwhelming Champions League result at Milan on Wednesday, runaway leaders Napoli encounter relegation-battling Hellas Verona on home turf. Saturday’s fixture at the Stadio Diego Maradona has all the makings of a lopsided contest, but it promises to be a feisty affair.
Napoli maintained a sailing 16-point lead at the Serie A summit last weekend with a hard-earned 2-1 triumph away to bottom-half Lecce. However, while they were able to make it up for the absence of talismanic striker Victor Osimhen at the Stadio Via del Mare, the Partenopei couldn’t cope with Milan without their leading goalscorer.
Ismael Bennacer scored on the cusp of halftime to fire Stefano Pioli’s team to a crucial 1-0 first-leg win at San Siro, giving Napoli a mountain to climb in the return leg of their mouth-watering quarter-final tie in Naples. Luciano Spalletti’s men have amends to make following a horror 4-0 defeat to Milan in their last Serie A outing at the Maradona.
Verona could be the perfect victim despite celebrating the 120th anniversary of the club’s foundation with a come-from-behind 2-1 home triumph over Sassuolo last Sunday. That result helped Marco Zaffaroni’s side end a dismal six-game winless league streak (D2, L4), reigniting their hopes of securing Serie A survival.
But with 16th-placed Spezia still four points away, the visitors cannot afford to leave Naples empty-handed. That could be easier said than done, considering a substantial gulf in quality between the sides and their own travel sickness. As the only side in Serie A yet to win a match on the road this season, the Gialloblu look like a doomed outfit ahead of the kick-off.
Match Preview
Napoli
Despite being taken down by Milan the last time they appeared at the Maradona, Napoli are still enjoying their best-ever Serie A season. They have picked up a club-high 74 points after 29 top-flight rounds, though curiously, only 45% of that total have come on home turf (34/74). Indeed, Spalletti’s men have lost twice in their last three home league games without scoring (W1).
While Napoli can draw confidence from beating Verona in their last two top-flight encounters after three consecutive H2Hs without winning beforehand (D2, L1), it’s worth noting that both those triumphs came on the road. The last two league meetings between Napoli and Verona at the Maradona have yielded an identical 1-1 scoreline. Therefore, the hosts cannot take anything for granted.
Player to Watch: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
With Osimhen still out, it has to be Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to lead Napoli’s charges on Saturday. The Georgian winger has tallied 12 goals in Serie A this term and could become only the second-ever Napoli player to net 13+ goals in a single top-flight season before turning 23.
Hellas Verona
With one of the most challenging road trips in Europe waiting in the wings, Verona will need a miracle to post their first Serie A triumph on hostile turf since April 2022. Zaffaroni’s men have picked up a league-low five points on their 14 league travels this season (D5, L9) and are one of only two sides yet to score double-digits on the road (7).
Bringing the 2021/22 season into the equation, the visitors are winless in their last 16 away league matches and could make it 17 without a win in a row for the first time since 2016. But if they somehow defy the odds and topple Napoli, it would be the first time since January 2022 that they’ve won back-to-back Serie A fixtures.
Player to Watch: Adolfo Gaich
In the previous game against Sassuolo, Adolfo Gaich managed to secure an all-important victory for Verona with his first goal for the club in the 95th minute. So watch out for him on Saturday.
Team News
Besides Osimhen, Napoli will be without second-choice striker Giovanni Simeone, who picked up an injury against Lecce. Tanguy Ndombele is also unavailable after accumultating yellow cards.
On the other hand, Verona cannot call upon long-term absentee Thomas Henry. Captain Miguel Veloso and Giangiacomo Magnani are ruled out with suspensions. There’s still a question mark over the heads of Darko Lazovic and Ibrahim Sulemana, but both should make the matchday squad.
Napoli vs Hellas Verona Potential Lineups
Napoli (4-3-3): Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Kim Min-Jae, Juan Jesus, Mario Rui; Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Stanislav Lobotka, Elif Elmas; Matteo Politano, Giacomo Raspadori, Hirving Lozano.
Hellas Verona (3-4-2-1): Lorenzo Montipo; Pawel Dawidowicz, Isak Hien, Federico Ceccherini; Davide Faraoni, Adrien Tameze, Ondrej Duda, Josh Doig; Simone Verdi, Cyril Ngonge; Adolfo Gaich.
Napoli vs Hellas Verona Prediction
Though Napoil’s focus is firmly on the Champions League, we expect the home side to redeem themselves to the fans and claim a routine win.
Prediction: Napoli Win