Napoli vs Fiorentina
The Serie A season is still in its early days, but there’s already exciting fixtures coming up for the eager fans of Italian football! One of the biggest matches of the weekend is a top-of-the-table clash that will determine whether Napoli will have a hard time climbing back up to challenge Juventus for the Scudetto.
Fiorentina have made a great start to their season and have a game in hand against their opponents. Their opening salvo to the season has definitely left many in disbelief. If the Viola win this game against last season’s runners-up, they are in the best position to challenge the Old Lady and pull off a Serie A win that has been impossible for the rest of the Italian top flight since 2011.
Carlo Ancelotti will surely have a tough game in his hands after his team suffered a big mishap early into their season. They cannot stumble any further if they want to keep the chase and continue the challenge on the Bianconeri.
Will Napoli be able to bounce back at home? Or will Fiorentina pull off a giant upset?
Talking Points
The former Milan and Real Madrid boss claimed that a good shot winning the Serie A with Napoli was what lured him to come to the Partenopei after leaving Bayern Munich last season. He has seemingly got off on a great start after pulling off a strong win against Lazio and pulling off a remarkable comeback against Napoli.
However, a big cause of concern for the Napoli faithful was the 3-0 humiliation the then-winless Sampdoria handed to them. Gregoire Defrel proved to be too slippery for Napoli’s backline as he scored a brace in the first half to doom Napoli into a desperate chase to at least tie the game.
The most eye-glaring facet of the Sampdoria game for Ancelotti’s staff has to be their attackers’ efficiency in front of goal. They had 12 shot attempts with six on target, but they weren’t able to get past Emil Audero. Another problem for them was the number of fouls they committed, leading to four yellow cards and 21 free kicks.
Piotr Zielinski would have to do a lot of heavy lifting on the attacking end for Napoli. He scored Poland’s only goal against Italy in the UEFA Nations League, so there’s no question about his goal-scoring form. It will be up to the rest of the attack to back him up. Lorenzo Insigne must especially pick up the pace for I Ciucciarelli.
While they will be hosting Fiorentina at Stadio San Paolo, they will have to know better than to relax around the Gigliati. The 6-1 crushing they handed Chievo showcased their scoring threat in the second half. Their 1-0 victory against Udinese was also decided in the second half.
The player to beware among the visitors is easily Marco Benassi. The former Italy U21 stalwart has steadily improved his form over the last three seasons, and his three-goal start to the season means that the 24-year-old has all the time in the world to beat his career record of five goals in a single season.
The Fiorentina faithful were nervous when their star midfielder made Serie A 2018 news for getting caught on camera for shouting profanity. Thankfully, the former Internazionale youth product managed to avoid a suspension and will be available to play in this important match.
History
Napoli vs Fiorentina predictions will look intriguing as both teams have an interesting head-to-head history.
The two sides are evenly matched: Napoli won 14 of their 36 Serie A encounters while Napoli snagged 12 victories. Napoli have the definite advantage in this match as they have always managed to protect the Stadio San Paolo against Fiorentina, winning eight games at home. They are also prolific in front of goal, scoring 25 goals at home against the Viola.
However, it is important to note that Fiorentina have pulled off six away draws against Napoli. Their scoring form away isn’t bad, either: they have scored 20 away goals and conceded only 25 strikes.
Given this history, it wouldn’t be weird to see both teams show up, play entertaining football, and settle for a home win or a thrilling draw.
Betting Tip
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Napoli vs Fiorentina | Fiorentina First Half Asian Handicap +0.25 @ 2.13 |
| September 16, 00:00 (GMT+8) |
Fiorentina have done well so far this season, and I can definitely see Stefano Pioli’s men pulling off a draw against Napoli. Unfortunately, Napoli will be hungry for a win and mount a second-half comeback to win and get them back in the Serie A title conversation.
However, SBOBET tips believe that Napoli will struggle to score in the first half, giving the travelling Fiorentina fans something to cheer about in the break. They have struggled to score right out of the gate in their first three matches, and their first-half goal against Lazio came during the added time of the first half.
I think Benassi would be able to at least score or orchestrate a goal that would lead to Fiorentina walking to the locker rooms happily during the break.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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