Serie A leaders Napoli are all set to host Hellas Verona, who are battling hard to stay out of the Serie A drop zone.
16th-placed Hellas Verona are all set to hit the road to square up against Antonio Conte’s Napoli at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Both teams have had contrasting fortunes this season. While one is fighting to regain the league title, the other is battling for survival in the Italian top flight.
Napoli have accumulated 44 points in their 19 outings. The Partenopei have a three-point advantage over second-placed Atalanta, who have a game in hand. As a result, Conte’s men cannot really afford to drop points.
Since their defeat at the hands of Lazio, Napoli have won each of their last four league outings and will be looking to make it five in a row. The visitors have only accumulated 19 points in as many outings. They are just two points clear of the team in 18th and will have to put together a string of good results if they do not intend to be involved in a relegation battle.
Hellas Verona recorded a 3-2 win over Bologna on the final day of 2024 and have started the new year with a draw. Having been unbeaten in their last two outings, they will look to build on it but going up against Napoli won’t be easy. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
SSC Napoli
While Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Matteo Politano are both closing in on a return, they might not yet be ready for this fixture. Mathias Olivera has a calf problem, but he is expected to be fit in time for this one. Meanwhile, Alessandro Buongiorno remains unavailable.
Conte will stick to the 4-2-3-1 formation, and he could name the same starting eleven that started in their last outing. Alex Meret should be the one in goal, while Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Mathias Olivera will take charge as full-backs. In the heart of the defence, Amir Rrahmani will start alongside Juan Jesus.
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Stanislav Lobotka will form the double pivot in the centre of the park. They will shield the backline and look to control the tempo of the game.
Former Manchester United star Scott McTominay will take up the number ten role, with David Neres and Leonardo Spinazzola on the flanks. Romelu Lukaku will continue to lead the line for Conte’s team.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka; Neres, McTominay, Spinazzola; Lukaku
Hellas Verona
Suat Serdar is suspended following a red card in their last outing, while Jackson Tchatchoua picked up a milestone yellow. Meanwhile, the visitors remain without the services of Martin Frese, Juan Cruz and Abdou Harroui because of injury.
Hellas Verona will go ahead with the 3-4-1-2 formation, where Lorenzo Montipò will take charge between the sticks. The back three will consist of Pawel Dawidowicz, Diego Coppola and Daniele Ghilardi.
Darko Lazovic and Domagoj Bradaric will be the wing-backs. While they would ideally like to contribute on both ends of the pitch, the duo will have a lot of defending to do. In the centre of the park, Ondrej Duda will partner with Reda Belahyane. They will try to ensure that Napoli midfielders do not end up dominating the proceedings. Tomas Suslov will be the attacking midfielder behind the attacking duo of Amin Sarr and Casper Tengstedt.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Montipo; Dawidowicz, Coppola, Ghilardi; Lazovic, Duda, Belahyane, Bradaric; Suslov; Sarr, Tengstedt
Key Stats
- Napoli have won their last four games heading into this fixture.
- Hellas Verona won the reverse fixture on the opening day of the season as they smashed Napoli 3-0 at home. They have an opportunity to do a double over their opposition for the first time in their history.
- The Naples-based club racked up 44 points in the first half of the campaign which is the club’s third-best tally this century.
- Verona have won their last two away league games and can make it three in a row for the first time since December 1984.
- Antonio Conte’s team have recorded the most clean sheets in Europe’s top five leagues (11).
Player to Watch
Romelu Lukaku
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Antonio Conte and Romelu Lukaku is a pairing that never tends to disappoint. The Belgian international has once again hit form top gear under the Italian tactician. He has seven goals and five assists in his 17 league outings and will be eager to add to his tally when he takes the field against Verona.
Prediction
SSC Napoli 2-0 Hellas Verona
Hellas Verona did win the reverse fixture, but it came during Antonio Conte’s early days at the club. Now, with Napoli firing on all cylinders under the Italian manager, the visitors will feel the full force of the Partenopei, who are top of the table and have won each of their last four league outings. The Hard Tackle predicts an easy 2-0 win for the home team.
