Morale-crippled Napoli and mid-table Sassuolo will lock horns in a handsomely-looking Serie A match-up at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. The home team’s dreams of a first Scudetto since Maradona’s glory days have been crushed following last weekend’s defeat at Empoli.
Despite leading 2-0 by the 80th minute, Luciano Spalletti’s side suffered a disastrous 3-2 loss in Tuscany, falling seven points behind table-topping Milan. Nothing short of miraculous would do for Napoli in the remainder of the season, but the Partenopei supporters have already reconciled with another trophyless season.
Sassuolo have fallen apart following an inspiring 2-1 home triumph over Atalanta, losing their subsequent two Serie A matches by a single-goal margin. However, another top-half finish is seemingly on the cards for the Neroverdi, as they hold a two-point lead on 11th-placed Torino ahead of the final four matchdays of the season.
Match Preview
Napoli
Napoli head into proceedings desperate to arrest a run of three Serie A matches without winning (D1, L2) and avoid a four-game winless league streak for the first time since December 2019. Though a return to Naples would be encouraging in normal circumstances, Spalletti’s men have faltered at the Stadio Diego Maradona of late.
All competitions included, Napoli have won just one of their last six home outings (D2, L3). Moreover, they have not kept a clean sheet in their eight previous competitive home fixtures since a 1-0 beating of Sampdoria in their inaugural Serie A home game of 2022. Against this backdrop, they boast the league’s second joint-best defensive record this term, with just 30 goals conceded.
Worryingly, Napoli are winless in their last three Serie A meetings with Sassuolo (D2, L1), conceding 2+ goals on each occasion, including a 2-2 draw at Mapei earlier this season. A slow start would significantly derail the hosts’ hopes of bouncing back from the recent downfall, as they’ve lost 50% of their Serie A games in which they shipped the opener this term (W3, D2, L5).
Sassuolo
A 2-1 home defeat to Juventus last time out saw Sassuolo live up to their reputation as the ‘entertainment specialists.’ Seven of their eight previous Serie A outings have now seen both sides score in matches garnering 3+ total goals, suggesting the Naples crowd could be in for a treat this weekend.
However, Sassuolo have suffered three defeats in their last four Serie A games (W1), losing the two most recent ones. Another reverse here would see the Neroverdi collapse in three consecutive Serie A fixtures for the second time under Alessio Dionisi. Yet, there’s a reason for optimism amongst the travelling squad.
After going winless in their opening seven Serie A visits to Napoli (D2, L5), Sassuolo came out 2-0 victors in this exact fixture last season. That could inspire the visitors’ bid to post their first-ever top-flight triumph over the Partenopei in the second half of the season (D4, L4).
Napoli vs Sassuolo Team News
Napoli will be without Stanislav Lobotka, who has yet to overcome an injury, though Spalletti remains hopeful of having Kalidou Koulibaly and Giovanni Di Lorenzo fit and firing for Saturday’s encounter.
Long-term absentees Jeremy Toljan and Abdou Harroui will miss out for visiting Sassuolo through injuries, while Giorgios Kyriakopoulos remains unavailable for selection due to suspension.
Napoli Potential Starting XI (4-2-3-1): David Ospina; Alessandro Zanoli, Amir Rrahmani, Kalidou Koulibaly, Mario Rui; Zambo Anguissa, Fabian Ruiz; Matteo Politano, Dries Mertens, Lorenzo Insigne; Victor Osimhen.
Sassuolo Potential Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Andrea Consigli; Mert Muldur, Vlad Chiriches, Gian Marco Ferrari, Rogerio; Maxime Lopez, Davide Frattesi; Domenico Berardi, Giacomo Raspadori, Hamed Traore; Gianluca Scamacca.