The top-four chasing Napoli will aim to continue their resurgent run when they host Tornio, who themselves boast European ambitions.
Francesco Calzona extended his unbeaten start to life as Napoli manager to four games, and last weekend delivered the most significant result so far ahead of the visit of Torino. A stellar 2-1 win over Juventus practically ended the visitors’ title ambitions once and for all, with the Partenopei now surging towards a probable top-four finish.
The road is still long for Calzona to achieve the feat of making it into the top-tier European competition, as they are still part of this season’s edition. Napoli take on Barcelona next week, but before that, they must take on Torino in this weekend’s early kick-off.
For Calzona, three points are a must in this early fixture to keep pressure on their top-four rivals, and he will hope his men make it three wins on the bounce. More importantly, a place in the top four is a difficult prospect for Napoli unless they have a phenomenal run between now and the end, meaning these games are a must-win for the manager and the players.
Torino, on the other hand, have seen their quest to make it into European places dealt a bitter blow in recent weeks. Some time ago, they were very much in charge of their destiny. But a single point in their last three games against fellow European rivals has seen them tail off from their ambitions to finish eighth on the table.
Ivan Juric has been unable to change his side to become ruthless finishers in front of the goal, as there are some problems inside the box. There are only three teams who have scored fewer goals than Torino, and this problem was evident during the recent draw against Fiorentina. More so, there are question marks whether this will change in the clash against Napoli on Friday night.
Team News & Tactics
Napoli
Cyril Ngonge and Jens Cajuste are the only potential absentees for Napoli, with Francesco Calzona likely to have the rest of his players available for selection. In terms of the lineup, the manager might not make too many alterations from their recent victories. So, many familiar faces will take the pitch on Friday night.
Alex Meret will be in goal, and he will have a familiar-looking back four as cover in front of him. Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Mathias Olivera are primed to take the full-back roles, with Amir Rrahmani and Juan Jesus being the likely candidates for the central defensive berth.
Stanislav Lobotka will sit at the base of the central midfield, while Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Hamed Traore are likely to provide support there from either side. Calzona will have plenty of other options. But looking at this particular game, he might go with this trio of midfielders.
Victor Osimhen will aim to continue his recent good form and lead the line for Napoli. Khivcha Kvaratskhelia will start on the left-hand side of the front three, while Matteo Politano seems best placed for the right-hand side.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka, Traore; Politano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia
Torino
Unlike Napoli, Torino have a rather long list of players out with injury or suspension. Samuele Ricci is the only player missing through a ban, as he will miss out on this clash after being sent off last weekend.
Ivan Ilic will miss at least 5-6 weeks with a knee injury, while the other injured stars include Perr Schuurs, Matteo Lovato, Adrien Tameze, and Mergim Vojvoda. Schuurs is a long-term absentee, and he might miss the remainder of the season.
Torino will prefer a back three to contain the threat posed by Napoli’s trio of lethal attackers. Alessandro Buongiorno will lead the backline from the central position and will have the support of Koffi Djidji and Adam Masina on either side.
Ricardo Rodriguez and Raoul Bellanova are well-placed to play as wing-backs, and sandwiched between them are midfield pair Karol Linetty and Gvidas Gineitis. Up front, Duvan Zapata and Antonio Sanabria are Torino’s best options for the centre-forward role, while Nikola Vlasic will occupy the position behind the attacking duo.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Milinkovic-Savic; Djidji, Buongirono, Masina; Bellanova, Linetty, Gineitis, Rodriguez; Vlasic; Zapata, Sanabria
Key Stats
- Napoli are unbeaten in four games under new manager Francesco Calzona.
- Napoli are undefeated in their last 11 home matches against Torino in all competitions.
- Napoli have seen over 2.5 goals in their last three matches against Torino in all competitions.
- There have been under 2.5 goals scored in five of Torino’s last six games in Serie A.
- There are only three teams that have scored fewer goals than Torino this season in Serie A.
Player to Watch
Victor Osimhen
Napoli have had a terrible season and recently installed their third manager in charge of the team. This time around, the new boss has managed to revitalise their charges, and one player who has been performing admirably after the recent change is Victor Osimhen.
The Napoli boss is hoping Osimhen’s recent hat-trick has charged him up for the coming games, with Napoli chasing an unprecedented place in the top four. The Nigerian, who is expected to leave the club, will want to have a fitting ending to his time here and start scoring in crucial games between now and the end.
Prediction
Napoli 2-0 Torino
Torino are struggling to score in front of the goal, and that problem might contiunue to persist when they travel to Naples on Friday night. With the pressure mounting on the club to get into the reckoning for a European place, it might crumble them should they go all out and attack a team like Napoli.
Francesco Calzona has found the right rhythm with his Napoli players and will want another good shown and potentially even a clean sheet for the cause. The hosts are expected to take three points and continue with their improbably looking quest to finish in the top four.
