Saturday is a day of reckoning as champions-elect Napoli welcome season-long bottom-half strugglers Salernitana at the Diego Maradona Stadium. With Lazio heading to Inter on Sunday, a victory over sub-par opposition could seal the Partenopei’s first Serie A title since 1989/90.
Luciano Spalletti’s men responded to a gut-wrenching Champions League exit at the hands of Milan in perfect fashion, as Giacomo Raspadori’s stoppage-time winner handed Napoli a dramatic 1-0 win at Juventus last weekend. That result, combined with Lazio’s 1-0 home defeat to Torino, fired the Partenopei 17 points clear at the summit with only 21 to play for down the final stretch.
There’s no doubt Napoli would want to celebrate a long-overdue success in front of the home crowd. And there’s hardly a more favorable opposition to accommodate a highly anticipated party in southern Italy than a visiting Salernitana side the Partenopei have beaten in all three top-flight encounters in the 21st century by an aggregate score of 7-1.
But the visitors are no longer the pushovers they used to be under Davide Nicola in the first half of the season. Paulo Sousa’s appointment in mid-February has turned the club’s fortunes around, moving a downtrodden team to mid-table comforts following an ominously-looking relegation threat.
Sousa has established Salernitana as ‘stalemate specialists,’ with the Granata sharing the spoils in six consecutive league matches before last weekend’s 3-0 demolition of Sassuolo on home turf. Despite a noticeable upturn in form, Sousa’s men cannot afford to rest on their laurels, with 18th-placed seven points below at the commencement of this round.
Match Preview
Napoli
As the first Serie A side to ensure Champions League football for next season, Napoli come into proceedings off the back of a three-match unbeaten league run (W2, D1). However, complacency has seemingly become an issue for the runaway leaders, as witnessed by their lackluster four-game form on home soil (W1, D1, L2). Both those losses saw them fail to get on the scoresheet.
Against this backdrop, scoring has been Napoli’s strong suit this term. Spalletti’s men have netted a staggering 67 goals in 31 matchdays, at least 16 more than any other team in Serie A. They’ll be confident about adding to that tally after bagging 3+ goals in their last three home clashes against Salernitana, including a 4-1 victory in this corresponding fixture in 2021/22.
Player to Watch: Victor Osimhen
You’d need to go to early February for Osimhen’s last league goal at the Maradona Stadium. Soon to be crowned the Capocannoniere winner, the Nigerian striker will be keen to have his share in a celebratory event on Saturday.
Salernitana
Salernitana’s top-flight status is at stake, but they seem to have found their form at just the right moment. An impressive eight-game unbeaten league streak (W2, D6) has opened up a seven-point gap on 18th-placed Verona, boosting their bid to post an elusive first Serie A win over Napoli after five failed attempts (D2, L3).
Sousa’s lads have drawn their last four league outings on the road and could become the first side to string together five straight ties on hostile territory since Lazio in 2016. Salernitana will feel confident about competing with the top teams, especially since they captured one of their two away wins this season (D7, L6) against second-placed Lazio.
Player to Watch: Boulaye Dia
Dia stole the show in last weekend’s battering of Sassuolo, tallying a goal and an assist to inspire his side to an all-important victory. The versatile forward has an eye-catching 11 goals and six assists to his name in Serie A this term, emerging as one of the most prolific players in the division.
Team News
Matteo Politano and Mario Rui joined Giovanni Simeone on the sidelines after suffering injuries in the return leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie against Milan. But Napoli will have the remainder of their star-studded roster fit for this potentially history-defining fixture.
As for Salernitana, one of the virtues of Sousa’s brief tenure has been the Granata’s ability to avoid injuries. Apart from long-term absentees Domen Crnigoj, Giulio Maggiore, and Federico Fazio, the visitors have picked up no fresh fitness concerns.
Napoli vs Salernitana Potential Lineups
Napoli (4-3-3): Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Kim Min-jae, Amir Rrahmani, Mathias Olivera; Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Stanislav Lobotka, Piotr Zielinski; Hirving Lozano, Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Salernitana (3-5-2-1): Guillermo Ochoa; Flavius Daniliuc, Norbert Gyomber, Lorenzo Pirola; Pasquale Mazzocchi, Tonny Vilhena, Lassana Coulibaly, Domagoj Bradaric; Antonio Candreva, Grigoris Kastanos; Boulaye Dia.
Napoli vs Salernitana Prediction
Despite having only two wins away from home this season, it is unlikely that Salernitana will be able to ruin Napoli’s big day in this Campania derby. Although they have not suffered a defeat since February and may provide a tough challenge, the home side’s superior skills will likely lead them to victory.
Prediction: Napoli Win
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