SSC Napoli vs UC Sampdoria Preview: Probable Lineups, Prediction, Tactics, Team News & Key Stats

Serie A champions Napoli welcome bottom-placed Sampdoria in their final fixture of the memorable 2022/23 Serie A campaign.

Serie A champions Napoli will welcome bottom-placed Sampdoria to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Sunday night in what is a season of differing fortunes for both sides.

The arena will be buzzing, given that it will be manager Luciano Spalletti’s final game in charge as he prepares for a sabbatical. The Italian tactician became the first manager to lead the Partenopei to a Scudetto in the post-Maradona era and will leave with his legacy intact.

Both the fans and the players will want to give the 64-year-old a grand send-off and are likely to be at their best on the night. Their joyous demeanour will be in stark contrast to the visiting fans, who will now look forward to Serie B action next season.

The Blucerchiati are set to finish rock bottom with a measly return of 22 points maximum. That is of course if they defeat Napoli, a difficult task in the best of times. With their ten-season run in the top flight set to end, the game should act as a goodbye of sorts, at least for a short period to the biggest tournament in Italian football.

In many ways, the game would have been seen as a dead rubber had it not been for Spalletti’s decision to step down. This, if anything, will make the tie harder for the visitors. Both teams have enjoyed vastly contrasting seasons and their meeting on the final day is a fitting end to the season.

Should Napoli win on the night, the point differential between both teams will be 71, a mind-boggling figure indeed that depicts the vast difference in quality. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might employ.

Team News & Tactics

SSC Napoli

Luciano Spalletti is likely to pick his strongest XI in what is his swansong to an adoring Napoli fanbase. His legacy built, the 64-year-old will now take a well-earned break. Should he seek to return to club football in the future, there should be no shortage of suitors.

Napoli will take to the field sans star defender Kim Min-jae who is suspended for the match. The South Korean defender is linked with several clubs and could be another one out the exit door in Naples. For now, he will watch on from the sidelines alongside Hirving Lozano, who is nursing a knee injury.

Two other players who are a doubt for the game are Mathias Olivera and Matteo Politano. Both face a race against time to be fit for the tie. It is not all bad news as Eljif Elmas returns to the squad following a one-match suspension.

Spalletti should retain faith in his 4-3-3 system, with Alex Meret acting as the last line of defence. He will be protected by the back four of Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Juan Jesus, Amir Rrahmani, and Mathias Olivera should he be deemed fit.

Stanislav Lobotka should hold the fort in central midfield, with Piotr Zielinski and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa flanking him in the middle of the park. Elmas is expected to be restored to the starting lineup, starting out wide on the left, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia providing the width on the left. Victor Osminhen will lead the line and will be keen to secure his Serie A golden boot.

Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Jesus, Rrahmani, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka, Zielinski; Kvaratskhelia, Osimhen, Elmas

UC Sampdoria

It has been a season devoid of any joy for the Blucerchiati whose ten-year-long run in Serie A comes to a bitter end on Sunday. Having won just three games all season in the league, Sampdoria have some soul-searching to do in the summer and plot for an immediate return to the top flight.

Dejan Stankovic will want to give their fans some semblance of joy and will do well to take the game to the home side. While it is unlikely to see them achieve much, the visitors might as well go down with their heads held high.

Sampdoria will, in all likelihood, step out in a 3-4-1-2 formation, with just Abdelhamid Sabiri and Emil Aduero the only absentees. Veteran goalkeeper Nicola Ravaglia should get the nod on the night, behind a back three of Koray Gunter, Bram Nuytinck, and Bruno Amione.

Alessandro Zanoli and Tommaso Augello should start out wide as the wing-backs, with Tottenham Hotspur loanee Harry Winks and Emirhan İlkhan holding the fort in the middle. Mehdi Leris is likely to be deployed in the number 10’s role with Manolo Gabbiadini starting upfront alongside veteran Italian international Fabio Quagliarella.

Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Ravaglia; Gunter, Nuytinck, Amione; Zanoli, Winks, Ilkhan, Augello; Leris; Gabbiadini, Quagliarella

Key Stats

• Napoli are currently on a eight-game winning streak against Sampdoria in Serie A. This is their second-longest winning run against another top-flight side, behind the 11-game run vs SPAL.
• Sampdoria are experiencing their worst run of consecutive defeats against a single opponent in Napoli, having lost their last eight games in Serie A.
• Sampdoria last won away to Napoli in Serie A back in 1998. In the 14 games away to the Partenopei in Serie A this century, they have managed just two draws and 12 defeats.
• In the last 19 Serie A games, Napoli average 2.6 goals per game against Sampdoria.
• This is the first time in Serie A history that two teams facing each other have a point differential of 68 between them.

Player to Watch

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

The 22-year-old has notched up 14 goals and 17 assists in 42 games across all competitions and is Napoli’s best overall player this season. While it is a big claim given that the side also contains Kim Min-jae and Victor Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia’s performances speak for themselves. 

His link-up with Osimhen has proven to be a strength for the home side, and the duo will be keen to add more goals to their tally. The Nigerian striker has been linked with a move away, and it remains to be seen if this is the last time we see the duo together in Napoli colours. 

Deemed the Serie A MVP for the 2022/23 campaign, Kvaratskhelia’s profile is now through the roof. He will be expected to do the award justice in front of the adoring Napoli crowd on Sunday night.

Prediction

SSC Napoli 4-0 UC Sampdoria

Sampdoria are coming up against an opponent, who do not just have the Serie A MVP at their disposal but also the league’s best striker, defender, and goalkeeper. Kim will watch on from the stands. But it is difficult to not notice the difference in quality between the two sides. The Hard Tackle expects Napoli to dish out a proper thrashing to Sampdoria that will not just remind the visitors of the scale of work to be done but also serve as an unforgettable sending-off to the Serie A coach of the year, Luciano Spalletti.