After returning to winning ways last time out, Napoli will look to build on that success when they travel to face Venezia.
In search of their fourth win of the season, relegation-threatened Venezia will host title contenders Napoli at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium on Sunday. Both teams have a lot at stake as we head into the final phase of the season.
The home team are 19th on the Serie A table with just 19 points in their 28 outings thus far. While Venezia are unbeaten in their last three outings, they are yet to win a league game this year.
They are heading into this fixture on the back of a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Como. Eusebio Di Francesco’s men will have to punch above their weight if they want to take down Napoli this weekend.
The visitors are second on the points table with 60 points in their 28 outings thus far. A stretch of five league games without a win has hampered their pursuit of the Serie A title. But the Partenopei did return to winning ways last time out.
The 2-1 win over Fiorentina will certainly boost their confidence heading into this fixture. Napoli have enough depth in their squad to ensure they claim all three points against Venezia. The Hard Tackle takes a close look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could use.
Team News & Tactics
Venezia
The home team will be without the services of Filip Stankovic, Richie Sagrado, Marin Sverko, and Michael Svoboda. Meanwhile, John Yeboah is suspended for this outing.
Venezia will go ahead with the 3-5-1-1 formation, where Ionut Radu will be in goal. The back three will be made up of Joel Schingtienne, Jay Idzes, and Fali Cande. They will look to keep the star-studded Napoli attack at bay and will receive significant support from Alessio Zerbin and Mikael Egill Ellertsson, who will feature as wing-backs.
In the centre of the park, Alfred Duncan will partner with Hans Nicolussi Caviglia and Kike Perez. The trio will look to ensure they do not let the opposition dictate the pace of the game. Gaetano Oristanio will feature in the attacking midfield role behind Mirko Maric, who lead the line for Venezia against Napoli.
Probable Lineup (3-5-1-1): Radu; Schingtienne, Izdes, Cande; Zerbin, Duncan, Nicolussi Caviglia, Perez, Ellertsson; Oristanio; Maric
Napoli
The away side could receive a massive boost ahead of this fixture as David Neres and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa could both be back in the mix. But neither might be ready to start just yet for Napoli against Venezia.
Meanwhile, Pasquale Mazzocchi is back and could be involved here. Napoli will most likely stick to the same XI that started in their previous outing. Alex Meret will be in goal in a 3-5-2 formation.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani and Alessandro Buongiorno will be the three central defenders who will be aiming for a clean sheet.
Matteo Politano and Leonardo Spinazzola will feature as the wing-backs, while Billy Gilmour will start alongside Stanislav Lobotka and Scott McTominay in the centre of the park. In the final third, Giacomo Raspadori will partner with Romelu Lukaku.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno; Politano, Gilmour, Lobotka, McTominay, Spinazzola; Raspadori, Lukaku
Key Stats
- Venezia are yet to win a league game in 2025.
- The last time the two teams met towards the end of 2024, Napoli secured a 1-0 win.
- After a run of five league games without a win, the Naples-based club finally secured all three points against Fiorentina last time out.
- The home team have been unbeaten in their last three league games (3 draws).
- Napoli have scored as well as conceded in each of their last eight league outings.
Player to Watch
Romelu Lukaku
Since joining Napoli last summer, Lukaku has scored ten goals and bagged another eight assists in his 26 league outings. The reunion with Antonio Conte has certainly worked in his favour as he has been one of their standout performers. Having returned to winning ways last time out, Napoli will hope their ace can guide them to another win.
Prediction
Venezia 0-3 Napoli
Venezia have not won a single league game in 2025, and that run is unlikely to end against Napoli on Sunday. The visitors returned to winning ways last time out, and they will be eager to build on it. They have the firepower in their squad to complete a double against the home team. The Hard Tackle predicts an easy 3-0 win for the away team.
