Napoli will look to build momentum after getting off the mark last week when they take on promoted Parma at the Diego Maradona Stadium on Saturday evening. Both teams head into proceedings in high spirits after posting victories on matchday two.
Antonio Conte’s reign in Naples encountered a stuttering start. Napoli needed penalties to dispatch second-tier Modena in the Coppa Italia following a 0-0 draw in regulation before suffering a humiliating 3-0 away defeat to Hellas Verona in their curtain-raising Serie A fixture.
However, a vintage Khvicha Kvaratskhelia performance inspired Napoli to a morale-boosting 3-0 triumph against Bologna last Sunday. The Georgian winger mustered a goal and an assist to lead the Partenopei to their first league win since the beginning of April.
Conte labeled that success as a ‘starting point,’ while his bid to reinstate Napoli as genuine top-four challengers in Serie A received another boost on Thursday. Chelsea outcast Romelu Lukaku has finally arrived in Italy to undergo his medical and sign a contract at the Maradona Stadium.
It’s still uncertain whether he’d be part of Conte’s matchday squad this weekend. Even if he did, Napoli would be silly to take Parma lightly. Fabio Pecchia’s newcomers have gone from strength to strength on their Serie A return after a three-year absence.
Following a 1-1 draw against Fiorentina on the opening day, the Crusaders pulled off a stunning 2-1 victory against Milan in round two. Dennis Man opened the scoring in both matches, establishing himself as a talismanic figure for this exciting-looking Parma side.
Match Preview
Napoli
Thrashing Bologna helped Napoli put a dismal eight-game winless league run to bed (D5, L3). At the same time, they could post back-to-back home wins in Serie A for only the second time in 2024. Conte’s men seem perfectly-positioned to do just that.
After losing both league duels in 2019/20 via an identical 2-1 scoreline, Napoli claimed a top-flight double over Parma the following season, winning 2-0 in both clashes. A home win in January 2021 was Napoli’s third in their last four meetings at this venue (L1).
More importantly, Napoli won all three games by 2+ goals ‘to nil,’ suggesting an emphatic scoreline could be in store. But it’s worth noting that last week’s triumph against Bologna remains the only example of such success for the Partenopei this calendar year.
Parma
Parma’s inspiring league start gives them legitimate hope that they could clip Conte’s wings, especially after ending a 13-game winless Serie A run with a magnificent performance against Milan. Yet, history is still against the Crusaders in this fixture.
Both their league outings this season have come at home. On the road, though, it’s been all doom and gloom. Parma’s long-standing travel sickness has seen them fail to win any of their last 14 top-flight matches away from home (D5, L9).
As if that’s not concerning enough, they’ve drawn their last four competitive games on hostile turf. Given the circumstances, Pecchia would likely sign up for a point ahead of the kick-off. But the last time Napoli and Parma shared the spoils on this ground was in 2000.
Team News
Lukaku may have to wait until after the international break to make his Napoli debut. The same goes for Scott McTominay, whose transfer from Manchester United is imminent. Meanwhile, David Neres marked his maiden Serie A appearance with an assist and could take Matteo Politano’s place in the starting XI this weekend.
On the other hand, Parma will take this trip without Hernani and Adrian Benedyczak. There are question marks over the heads of Yordan Osorio and Gabriel Charpentier. Pecchia should be able to call upon Nahuel Perez, who has been struggling with a thigh problem after the Milan game.
Napoli vs Parma Potential Line-ups
Napoli (3-4-2-1): Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Alessandro Buongiorno; Pasquale Mazzocchi, Stanislavv Lobotka, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Mathias Olivera; David Neres, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia; Giovanni Simeone.
Parma (4-2-3-1): Zion Suzuki; Woyo Coulibaly, Enrico Del Prato, Alessandro Circati, Emanuele Valeri; Adrian Bernabe, Nahuel Estevez; Dennis Man, Simon Sohm, Valentin Mihaila; Ange-Yoan Bonny.
Napoli vs Parma Prediction
With momentum on their side, Parma will be out to beat Napoli on this ground for the first time since December 2019, when Dejan Kulusevski and Gervinho fired them to a 2-1 triumph. The hosts are still a ‘work in progress,’ meaning the visiting team has an outside chance to stage another upset
Since only one of Napoli’s last 17 matches against Parma in Serie A has ended level, a draw is an unlikely scenario. This game could go either way, no matter the odds, but we back Conte’s lads to edge Pecchia’s high-flyers out.
Prediction: Napoli to Win
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