Serie A: Verona are Up First in Napoli’s Two-Game Homestand

Napoli vs Hellas Verona

Napoli are eager to return to winning ways when they host Hellas Verona at the Diego Maradona Stadium for the next Serie A match.

On paper, this feels like an easy victory for the hosts. However, this is their second game in four days, and fatigue is already seeping in for Luciano Spalletti’s side.

I Partenopei remain on top of the Serie A standings with 74 points, and the Scudetto is theirs to lose. They can take it easy on Saturday, but they’ll use this match to build momentum ahead of the second leg of their Champions League quarter-finals tie against AC Milan.

Hellas Verona, meanwhile, are in the relegation zone and are desperate to get out of there. They’re in 18^th with 22 points, and getting a seemingly improbable win here would really help.

Talking Points

Napoli need Osimhen back

With games coming in thick and fast, injury problems are piling up for Napoli. Victor Osimhen has missed their last three games, and Gio Simeone was also out against AC Milan yesterday. 

Osimhen sustained an injury while on international duty with Nigeria in March, while Simeone was pulled out of their game against Lecce just 17 minutes after coming off the bench due to a thigh knock.

In the last three games, Napoli lost 4-0 against AC Milan in Serie A, and they laboured in their 2-1 victory over Lecce. And then they were defeated once more by AC Milan in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.

With 25 goals this year, Osimhen is Napoli’s leading scorer, and he was greatly missed by the squad, particularly against AC Milan. Because he was unable to play and Eljif Elmas failed to make a huge impact, AC Milan were able to slow them down just enough to get the 1-0 win.

Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti confirmed that Osimhen will play in the second leg, and it is expected that the Nigerian forward will get a run-in against Hellas Verona, perhaps coming off the bench.

Other than Osimhen, Napoli have other weapons that Hellas Verona need to account for, such as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Piotr Zielinski, and Giovanni Di Lorenzo.

Kvaratskhelia has 14 goals and 14 assists, while Zielinski has seven goals and nine assists. Di Lorenzo is remarkably one of their top creative outlets with six assists, despite operating as their right-back.

Hellas Verona lacking firepower

Hellas Verona have fallen back to Earth after their fast start under Marco Zaffaroni, who took over from Salvatore Bocchetti last December.

After going undefeated in four of their five matches in January, Hellas Verona hit a rough patch, losing and drawing three times and winning only twice.

I Gialloblu are missing their influential midfielder, Antonin Barak, who was their second-leading scorer last season with five goals.

Right now, they’re relying on Darko Lazovic and Cyril Ngonge to deliver the goals, but the two of them have scored only five goals combined thus far.

History

Saturday marks the 60^th Serie A meeting between Napoli and Hellas Verona. The hosts have the edge in the head-to-heads so far with 32 wins, while the visitors have won 13 times along with 14 draws.

Napoli defeated Hellas Verona in their reverse fixture back in August with a 5-2 scoreline. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Victor Osimhen, Piotr Zielinski, Stanislav Lobotka, and Matteo Politano scored for I Partenopei, while Kevin Lasagna and Thomas Henry tallied the consolation goals for I Gialloblu.

Hellas Verona have won only twice in Naples here in Serie A. The last time that they beat Napoli on the road was in January 1983, when Piero Fanna’s brace secured a 2-1 victory. Since then, Napoli have gone undefeated in their last 17 league home matches against Hellas Verona (W13, D4).

But Napoli have lost two of their last three home games in Serie A (W1), which is as many losses as in their previous 20 home league games (W15, D3).

Betting Tip

Despite their recent struggles, the SBOTOP Serie A 2023 odds have Napoli as the favourites to win this game. The hosts are installed at 1.45 to win, whereas Hellas Verona are the underdogs at 8.00, and a draw is at 3.50 in the 1X2 market.

Perhaps this game is what Napoli need to regain their bearings. Even with Osimhen and Simeone sidelined, they should still have enough to beat their relegation-threatened visitors. Goals and Serie A 2023 highlights will come in bunches for this fixture, making Over 2.50 at 2.04 your best alternative bet.

 

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