Fiorentina will look to strengthen their case for a top-four spot with a win when they host title contenders Napoli on Saturday.
Second-placed Napoli will hit the road to square up against fifth-placed Fiorentina at Stadio Artemio Franchi on Saturday evening.
The home team have surely had an impressive first half of the season as they have accumulated 32 points in their 17 outings. While they have done most things right, Fiorentina have not been in that great form of late, having been winless in their last three league games.
After defeats to Bologna and Udinese, they did play out a hard-fought draw against Juventus last time out. While the game against Napoli will be even more difficult, the home team will surely try their best to come out on top.
The visitors are second on the points table with 41 points in their 18 matches. The Partenopei are level on points with table toppers Atalanta and cannot really afford to drop points.
Since losing to Lazio, they have won their last three league games against Udinese, Genoa and Venezia. Given the kind of streak they have been in, Napoli will be confident about their chances of securing yet another win. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Fiorentina
While Danilo Cataldi did miss training, he is expected to be available for this one. Raffaele Palladino should have a fully fit squad and there could be a few changes to the XI that started in their last outing.
Fiorentina have already made a move in the ongoing window as they have secured the services of Nicolas Valentini from Boca Juniors. The home team will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, where David de Gea will be in goal. Dodo and Robin Gosens will be the full-backs, while Pietro Comuzzo and Luca Ranieri will feature in the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, Yacine Adli will partner with Danilo Cataldi. The duo will look to shield the backline and ensure the visitors do not end up dominating the proceedings.
Andrea Colpani and Riccardo Sottil will feature on the flanks for the home team, while Lucas Beltran will be the attacking midfielder. Moise Kean who has been in red-hot form will be the one leading the line for the away team.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Dodo, Comuzzo, Ranieri, Gosens; Adli, Cataldi; Colpani, Beltran, Sottil; Kean
SSC Napoli
The visitors will be without the services of Alessandro Buongiorno who is out injured. Apart from him, everyone else is expected to be available. Meanwhile, Mario Rui’s contract at Napoli has been terminated.
Antonio Conte’s team will go ahead with the 4-3-3 formation, where Alex Meret will be in goal. Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Mathias Olivera should be the full-backs, while Amir Rrahmani will start alongside Juan Jesus in the heart of the defence.
In the centre of the park, summer signing Scott McTominay will feature alongside Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Stanislav Lobotka. The trio will look to control the tempo and ensure they have the majority of the ball possession. David Neres and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will provide the width to their attacks, while Romelu Lukaku will lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka, McTominay; Neres, Lukaku, Kvaratskhelia
Key Stats
- Fiorentina have been winless in their last four outings across all competitions.
- Napoli have won each of their last three league games heading into this fixture.
- The home team have not suffered consecutive league defeats at Stadio Artemio Franchi since late 2023.
- Fiorentina have failed to win the first Serie A game of a new year for the past five seasons.
- Napoli last lost to Fiorentina away from home back in 2018.
Player to Watch
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Kvaratskhelia has been one of the best players for Napoli in recent seasons. But, he has not been that consistent this season. With just five goals and three assists in his 17 outings, the 23-year-old will be eager to add to his tally. With just one goal contribution in his last seven league outings, the Georgian international is surely due a big performance.
Prediction
Fiorentina 0-2 SSC Napoli
Fiorentina surely had an impressive first half of the season, but they fell off towards the end of 2024 and now have a tough task of going up against an in-form Napoli team that has won each of their last three league outings. The visitors are the favourites here, and they should not have much of a problem coming out on top here. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for the away team.
