Saturday’s Serie A action gets underway at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona as high-flying Napoli and mid-table Sassuolo lock horns in a handsomely-looking match-up. Enthusiasm is at an all-time high in Naples these days in the midst of the Partenopei’s longest-ever winning run across all competitions.
Despite capturing a place in the Champions League knockouts with two games to spare, Luciano Spalletti’s understrength line-up eased past Rangers 3-0 on Wednesday. Leo Ositgard’s breakthrough goal for Napoli followed up Giovanni Simeone’s first-half double to hand the in-form Partenopei a 12th competitive victory on the trot.
In addition to earning plaudits for becoming the first-ever Italian club to win the opening five Champions League group fixtures, Napoli have yet again put their free-scoring form on full display. Spalletti’s men were not as effective in the front third against Roma last weekend, yet Victor Osimhen’s late winner gave them a massive 1-0 triumph at the Stadio Olimpico.
Back to Naples, where they’ve netted an intimidating average of 2.4 goals per Serie A match this season (W4, D1), Napoli will be looking to tighten their grip on the top spot. With second-placed Milan heading to Torino, the Partenopei could extend their three-point lead at the summit, provided they beat Sassuolo and the Rossoneri collapse in Turin.
However, Sassuolo have proved they’re not pushovers despite losing several first-team regulars in the summer, including Giacomo Raspadori. Head coach Alessio Dionisi knows in-depth about the new Napoli forward and will be keen to deny his bid to score on Saturday’s reunion. Yet defending has not been Sassuolo’s strong suit of late.
After keeping four clean sheets in five Serie A games, the Neroverdi have conceded in their last three league outings. That didn’t stop them from coming from an early 1-0 deficit to oust relegation-threatened Hellas Verona 2-1 at home last time out, arresting a two-match losing streak in Serie A.
Match Preview
Napoli
Following an emphatic 6-1 romping of Sassuolo in April, Napoli could win back-to-back Serie A H2Hs for only the third time in the club’s history. It’s hard to imagine them not achieving that feat as they come into proceedings unbeaten in their last 15 league matches (W13, D2), including seven triumphs in a row in the run-up to this showdown.
If you’re looking for an omen, Napoli embarked on this jaw-dropping run against non-other than Sassuolo. Another victory against the Neroverdi would help the hosts equal the club’s best-ever 12-game start to a new top-flight season, hence motivation won’t be in short supply. Simeone could prove decisive again after tallying three Serie A goals against Sassuolo.
Alongside Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, Napoli remain the only side in Europe’s top-five leagues yet to lose a domestic fixture this season. With Spalletti on the verge of stringing together his longest winning streak in charge of the Partenopei, it takes no rocket science to understand Napoli will be hellbent on keeping their 100% unbeaten Serie A start intact.
Sassuolo
Perennial mid-table residents Sassuolo are desperate to make a quantum leap this season and mount a top-six Serie A challenge for a change. With six-placed Udinese only six points away, Dionisi would be forgiven for fancying his side’s chances of upsetting the odds in the wake of massive personnel alterations in the summer.
However, facing Napoli in Serie A has never been a happy hunting ground for Sassuolo. They have picked up just two victories from their 18 top-flight encounters against the current pacesetters. On top of that, they’ve registered only one clean sheet during that 18-game sequence, casting more doubt on their faint hopes of silencing the Maradona Stadium.
Sought-after midfielder Davide Frattesi could be a game-changer Sassuolo desperately need. The Italy international has clocked up four goals in 11 Serie A appearances this season, already as many strikes as he had in the entire 2021/22 campaign.
Napoli vs Sassuolo Potential Line-ups
Napoli (4-3-3): Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Kim Jim-jae, Juan Jesus, Mathias Olivera; Tanguy Ndombele, Stanislav Lobotka, Piotr Zielinski; Matteo Politano, Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Sassuolo (4-3-3): Andrea Consigli; Jeremy Toljan, Martin Erlic, Gian Marco Ferrari, Rogerio; Davide Frattesi, Maxime Lopez, Kristian Thorstvedt; Luca D’Andrea, Andrea Pinamonti, Armand Lauriente.