Torino host Napoli as part of Sunday’s Serie A action at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino as the Granata continue their hunt for a spot in the European places. Ivan Juric will be searching for a third consecutive league victory at the weekend after picking up back-to-back wins over Bologna and Lecce, whilst the Partenopei will look to follow up on their 2-0 conquest over Atalanta last Saturday.
Napoli reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time in their history on Wednesday night after they defeated Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 at the Diego Maradona Stadium. The result secured a definitive 5-0 aggregate triumph over the German outfit and they will join fellow Serie A sides Inter and Milan in the last eight.
However, the European success for Luciano Spalletti’s side has come at a cost and the city of Naples was witness to shocking scenes pre and post-match. Frankfurt ultras clashed with Neopolitan ultras and police, whilst Atalanta ultras were also suspected to have joined in on the chaos that saw the city engage in guerrilla warfare.
The Granata will be fuelled with aspirations for European football next term as they welcome Napoli to Piedmont. With seventh place potentially offering a spot in Europe, Torino stand a good chance of qualifying as they currently occupy eighth position in Serie A, behind rivals Juventus by just a single point. However, they will also have Atalanta in their sights and they are only five points behind La Dea through 26 games.
Preview
Torino
Consecutive clean sheets in their previous two matches puts Torino in excellent form ahead of their clash with the Azzurri. Of course, a victory for Juric’s side seems improbable, considering the exemplary talents of Napoli. Nevertheless, the Granata enter this one with excellent momentum and have a chance at providing an upset.
Defensive stability will be the key if Torino are to get a result here and they have the fifth-best defensive record in Serie A, conceding a total of 29 goals. That has only been bettered by the likes of Lazio, Roma, Juventus and Napoli themselves so far this term and the likes of goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, wing-back Ricardo Rodriguez and the ever-present Perr Schuurs have provided a solid foundation at the back.
Player to Watch: Antonio Sanabria
Leading the goalscoring charts for Torino in Serie A so far this term, forward Antonio Sanabria will be looking to maintain his fine run of form here. The Paraguayan has scored three goals in his last four matches, which has now seen him reach his best ever tally for the club in the league. He will be the main offensive threat for the hosts at the weekend.
Napoli
It looks as though the Partenopei are heading for the Scudetto at a canter. The 18-point lead atop of the Serie A standings with just 12 games remaining certainly seems that Spalletti’s side are already home and dry. However, the coach himself does not think so and will not allow complacency to creep in.
Victory for the visitors seems extremely probable on Sunday and six consecutive wins in all competitions on their travels highlights how effective they are away from the Diego Maradona. Victor Osimhen has also excelled away from home, scoring in each of Napoli’s last six matches on the road and will lead the line once more in Turin.
Player to Watch: Stanislav Lobotka
Despite Kvicha Kvaratskhelia and Osimhen usually grabbing the headlines, Stanislav Lobotka has become one of Napoli’s lesser-known heroes. He’s provided an excellent base to the Partenopei midfield and was superb against Frankfurt midweek, providing a superb pass out to the right flank for Matteo Politano in the lead up to Osimhen’s opener.
No player won possession more times in the Champions League this week than Stanislav Lobotka against Eintracht Frankfurt (12).
◉ 3x attacking third
◉ 5x middle third
◉ 4x defensive thirdAnother midfield masterclass. ?#UCL pic.twitter.com/qSRxp2nE36
— Squawka (@Squawka) March 15, 2023
Team News
Torino will be boosted by the return of Croatian Nikola Vlasic who has missed the last four matches due to injury. He has surprisingly returned to training ahead of the match and could be in line to start against the Azzurri on Sunday. Yann Karamoh, who missed the previous game against Lecce, remains a doubt but there is hope that he will be able to feature here.
However, Valentino Lazaro, Ronaldo Vieira and David Zima are all expected to remain out as they continue in their recoveries from their respective injuries.
As for Napoli, Giacomo Raspadori is expected to be the sole injury issue ahead of the matchup and remains a doubt. Goalkeeper Alex Meret recovered for the midweek fixture after being a late drop out against Atalanta, whilst Kim Min-jae was also able to make the starting lineup after recovering from a knock.
Torino vs Napoli Potential Lineups
Torino (3-4-2-1): Vanja Milinkovic-Savic; Koffi Djidji, Perr Schuurs, Alessandro Buongiorno; Stephane Singo, Samuele Ricci, Ivan Ilic, Ricardo Rodriguez; Aleksey Miranchuk, Nikola Vlasic; Antonio Sanabria
Napoli (4-3-3): Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Kim Min-jae, Mario Rui; Stanislav Lobotka, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Piotr Zielinski; Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, Victor Osimhen, Matteo Politano
Torino vs Napoli Prediction
The hosts will be no pushovers on Sunday afternoon and will certainly provide a stern test for the Azzurri, with their stout defending potentially posing an issue. However, the elite qualities of star players Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia will likely help see Napoli through to victory, coupled with Spalletti’s tactical fluidity.
Prediction: Napoli Win