Napoli will be keen to close the gap to the Serie A summit when they take on Fiorentina on Sunday.
Defending champions Napoli will be keen to cut the gap to the top when they welcome Fiorentina to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium on Sunday night.
Rudi Garcia has had the unenviable task of replacing Luciano Spalletti in Naples following their historic 2022/23 Serie A triumph. They have, however, gotten off to a mixed start and now have a gap to bridge if they are ready to retain a successful title defence.
League leaders Inter Milan threw away a two-goal lead at home to Bologna on Saturday, giving Napoli and other chasing teams an opportunity to chip away at their advantage. Having lost 3-2 to Real Madrid midweek, Napoli will be keen to get back to winning ways and build momentum ahead of the upcoming international break.
La Viola will be no pushovers and have started the campaign well. In fact, they are currently on level with Napoli in the Serie A standings and can leapfrog them if they pull off a surprise on Sunday.
Vincenzo Italiano’s men have gotten off to fast starts this season and will put Napoli’s defence to the test. The home side will need to weather the initial storm and take the fizz out of the visitors’ momentum before asserting their own dominance in the game. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on Sunday and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
SSC Napoli
✨ Good vibes only
💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/7LAlUVMu9X
— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) October 6, 2023
Napoli have won three of their last six games across all competitions in what has been an inconsistent start to the current campaign. Rudi Garcia will hope that his men turn a corner soon and rediscover that momentum that saw them waltz their way to the Scudetto last season.
While the home side showed some good performances against Real Madrid, their inability to drive home an advantage has mirrored their fortunes this season. While they go into the weekend’s game as favourites, Fiorentina are no cannon fodder.
Garcia will be without Juan Jesus, Amir Rrahmani, and Pierluigi Gollini for the night. He has an otherwise fully-fit squad and will hope that the team can make news for their performances on the field rather than issues off it.
The 4-3-3 appears to be Garcia’s go-to system and he is not expected to change it on the night. Alex Meret should start in goal despite his own goal in midweek behind the familiar back four of Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Leo Ostigard, Natan, and Mario Rui.
Stanislav Lobotka should act as the anchor in the midfield with Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Piotr Zielinski flanking him in central midfield. Victor Osimhen is sure to start up top with Matteo Politano and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on either flank.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Ostigard, Natan, Rui; Anguissa, Lobotka, Zielinski; Politano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia
Fiorentina
La Viola average two points per game of war this season in Serie A and could improve upon their eighth-placed finish from last season. If anything, should they keep it up throughout the season, a top-four finish could well be on the cards.
But we are getting ahead of ourselves and Italiano’s men will instead have their eyes peeled on this weekend’s challenge against Napoli. Naples remains a difficult place to get a result, and the visitors could set tongues wagging if they manage to take a point or more on the night.
Italiano will be without Dodo, Yerry Mina, Niccolo Pierozzi and Gaetano Castrovilli, all of whom are out injured. Cristiano Biraghi is also a doubt for the game and might have to settle for a spot on the bench even if he is deemed fit.
CONVOCATI | 📄
I Viola per #NapoliFiorentina ⚜️#ForzaViola #Fiorentina #ACFFiorentina pic.twitter.com/9gMK8rZX76
— ACF Fiorentina (@acffiorentina) October 7, 2023
The 4-2-3-1 formation will give the visitors the extra numbers in the midfield and also the flexibility to shift gears when needed. Pietro Terracciano should start in goal, with Michael Kayode, Nikola Milenkovic, Lucas Martinez Quarta, and Fabiano Parisi forming the back four.
Arthur Melo and Alfred Duncan should form the double pivot and will hope to stymie the impact of Piotr Zielinski going forward. It will also give the trio of Nicolas Gonzalez, Giacomo Bonaventura, and Josip Brekalo the freedom to push forward and create goalscoring opportunities for M’Bala Nzola.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Terracciano; Kayode, Milenkovic, Martinez Quarta, Parisi; Arthur, Duncan; Gonzalez, Bonaventura, Brekalo; Nzola
Key Stats
- Fiorentina have won just one of their last six Serie A games against Napoli.
- Napoli have kept a clean sheet in four of their last six Serie A home games against Fiorentina.
- Napoli are on an unbeaten run of 15 games against Fiorentina when the pair have met each other in the first half of the season.
- Scoring three or more goals on the night will see Napoli achieve the feat for three games in a row in Serie A for just the third time in their history.
Player to Watch
Victor Osimhen
The Nigerian international remains Napoli’s biggest attacking threat and will once again be the player to watch out for this weekend. Controversies reign supreme regarding him off the field but there is little doubt that an in-form Osimhen is a game-winner on his own.
Lautaro Martinez’s four-goal haul against Salernitana gave him the foot up in the race for the Serie A Golden Boot this season. Osimhen has a gap to bridge on the night and will be keen to get to it against Fiorentina on Sunday.
Prediction
SSC Napoli 2-1 ACF Fiorentina
Napoli and Fiorentina is an interesting match-up where a lot could depend on the opening 15 minutes of the game. Fiorentina have started well in games this season and Napoli will do well not to suffer a UEFA Champions League hangover. In many ways, both teams are expected to cancel each other out with Napoli just about nicking it thanks to the match winners in their roster.
