SSC Napoli have much work to do to salvage their season when they travel to Torino on Sunday.
It has so far proven to be an abject Serie A title defence by SSC Napoli, who begin the weekend 17 points behind league leaders Inter Milan as they prepare for the trip to Torino on Sunday.
Replacing Rudi Garcia with Walter Mazzarri does not appear to have rejuvenated Napoli, as they continue to struggle to see out games. Currently in the right position, five points off the fourth spot, the Gli Azzurri might miss out on next season’s UEFA Champions League as well if results do not improve soon.
Torino are just two spots below their opponents on the night and will close the gap to one point should they secure a win. Given Napoli’s lack of conviction, there is every reason to believe that Il Toro have a reasonable chance of coming out on top.
Napoli have picked up 28 points from their first 18 games in Serie A this season. They have fared worse only twice since securing promotion to the top flight in 2007/08. Curiously, they lost the 19th game in both these seasons, a bad omen for Mazzarri indeed.
Any further dropped points will more or less put a huge question mark on where the Partenopei might end up this season. Unless Mazzarri and Co. can stem the tide fast, they could be in for a long and hard campaign. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Torino
Perr Schuurs is out long-term with an ACL injury, while David Zima is a doubt for the weekend. It is not all bad news as Ivan Juric will welcome back Nikola Vlasic. The Croat is likely to be restored to the playing XI following the loss to Fiorentina.
Torino are expected to line up in a 3-4-1-2 system that can transition to a 5-3-2 when needed. The latter will help Il Toro combat Napoli’s push on the wings and force them narrow so that the centre-back trio can crowd them out.
A 3-4-1-2 formation appears to be the preferred setup for Torino, with Vanja Milinkovic-Savic in goal. He will be protected by the centre-back trio of Adrien Tameze, Alessandro Buongiorno, and Ricardo Rodriguez.
Samuele Ricci and Ivan Ilic will form the midfield barrier, giving Raoul Bellanova and Mergim Vojvoda the freedom to push forward on the wing. Nikola Vlasic should don the number ten role, with Duvan Zapata and Antonio Sanabria leading the line.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Milinkovic-Savic; Tameze, Buongiorno, Rodriguez; Bellanova, Ricci, Ilic, Vojvoda; Vlasic; Sanabria, Zapata
SSC Napoli
The defending champions have seen their title defence go up in smoke and now face an uphill task to salvage the campaign. Injuries have not helped either with Natan, Mathias Olivera and Alex Meret all available.
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Victor Osimhen have both departed for the AFCON, leaving Mazzarri without two of his first-choice stars. Eljif Elmas has since moved to RB Leipzig, further depleting the options in midfield.
Matteo Politano is back from suspension and should slot straight into the playing XI. One constant is the 4-3-3 formation that Mazzarri is likely to retain. Pierluigi Gollini should start in goal behind the backline of Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Juan Jesus, and Mario Rui.
Stanislav Lobotka should hold the keys to the midfield, with Jens Cajuste and Piotr Zielinski flanking him. Politano will occupy the right win, with Giacomo Raspadori starting upfront. An out-of-form Khvicha Kvaratskhelia should occupy the left flank and will hope to make the difference in Osimhen’s absence.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Gollini; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Rui; Cajuste, Lobotka, Zielinski; Politano, Raspadori, Kvaratskhelia
Key Stats
- Torino are on a five-game losing streak against Napoli in Serie A. This is their longest such current run against an opponent in the league.
- A shutout on Sunday will see Napoli keep five straight clean sheets away from home against Torino. They have managed a run of five or more away games just four times before.
- A loss on the day will see Torino lose consecutive Serie A games for just the second time this season.
- With a return of 28 points in 18 games, Napoli are enjoying their third-worst start to a league season since their promotion to the top flight in 2007/08.
Player to Watch
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
The Georgian international has appeared to be a shadow of his former self and has struggled to get going this season. Kvaratskhelia has a measly five goals and five assists in 24 games across all competitions this season. With Victor Osimhen unavailable, the 22-year-old will need to step up and show his worth. How well he can do it could determine the club’s fortunes in 2024.
Prediction
Torino 1-1 SSC Napoli
While Napoli have the upper hand in recent times, Torino could not have faced them at a better time. Walter Mazzarri will hope that his side’s superior quality can make the difference. But it is likely that both teams will eventually have to settle for a point.