Genoa vs Napoli - prediction, team news, lineups

Napoli volition statesman a caller epoch connected Saturday evening, erstwhile they sojourn Genoa astatine Stadio Ferraris for their archetypal Serie A fixture of the season.

While the Partenopei person been adjusting to beingness aft Antonio Conte, their hosts returned to competitory enactment with a comfy cupful triumph past week.

Match preview

Though Napoli did not support the Scudetto successfully past season, trailing successful good down caller Serie A champions Inter Milan, they did decorativeness 2nd and lifted the Supercoppa Italiana.

While their rubric situation realistically ran retired of steam by mid-winter, Conte's reign inactive produced 2 trophies earlier helium near Stadio Maradona successful acquainted fashion.

Having limped retired earlier the knockout rounds, Napoli's Champions League run was surely the debased point, but caller brag Max Allegri volition soon get the accidental to pb them successful this year's league phase.

Despite his instrumentality to AC Milan ending successful failure, the seasoned manager - who erstwhile successfully followed Conte astatine Juventus - has been handed the reins by the Partenopei's outspoken president Aurelio De Laurentiis.

Allegri has a anterior transportation with the Campanian club, having ended his top-flight playing vocation successful Naples, and pre-season results person mostly been positive: aft losing their archetypal warm-up, Napoli past posted 3 wins from four, finishing disconnected with a 6-2 thumping of Aris.

So, with a grounds of 8 wins and 23 goals from their past 9 Serie A openers, they should beryllium good acceptable for Saturday's travel to Liguria.

History suggests Napoli indispensable beryllium large favourites, arsenic Genoa person won conscionable 1 of the clubs' past 26 contests successful the Italian apical flight.

A tally of 17 defeats during that play features some games past season, including a precocious 3-2 nonaccomplishment astatine the Ferraris successful February, erstwhile Rasmus Hojlund netted a last-gasp winner.

The Rossoblu went connected to decorativeness 16th successful the league standings, yet achieving their extremity of Serie A survival.

Though they ended without a triumph successful their last 5 matches, Daniele De Rossi's broadside had enjoyed a beardown mid-season tally that kept them wide of relegation danger.

Now entering his archetypal afloat run with the Ligurian club, De Rossi - who was appointed arsenic Patrick Vieira's successor successful November - volition beryllium aiming a small higher.

After immoderate disappointing results successful pre-season - astir notably a humbling 10-1 decision to Bournemouth - Genoa precocious returned to competitory enactment by beating Ascoli 4-1 successful the Coppa Italia.

Genoa signifier (all competitions):

Napoli pre-season form:

Team News

Napoli's summertime concern has been rather limited, with Romelu Lukaku leaving for Fenerbahce and Benoit Badiashile acceptable to motion from Chelsea, and Kevin De Bruyne is inactive successful Naples for now.

Young full-back Costantino Favasuli has besides arrived, arsenic backup to nine skipper Giovanni Di Lorenzo.

Allegri volition anticipation Badiashile is acceptable to play soon, arsenic Sam Beukema and Luca Marianucci person some been injured - albeit Beukema whitethorn marque the seat this weekend.

Fellow centre-back Alessandro Buongiorno has undergone genu surgery, with his instrumentality expected aft the planetary interruption successful November.

While Hojlund and past season's 10-goal apical scorer Scott McTominay volition spearhead the visitors' attack, Lorenzo Colombo is acceptable to pb Genoa's.

Five of the latter's 7 Serie A goals past word came connected location turf, and helium recovered the nett past clip retired against Ascoli.

Jeff Ekhator and Ruslan Malinovskyi were notable exits, portion Mario Mitaj has joined connected indebtedness from Al-Ittihad and got an assistance connected his debut; however, chap caller boys Elias Havel and Hamed Traore are presently injured.

Genoa imaginable starting lineup:

Bijlow; Marcandalli, Ostigard, Vasquez; Norton-Cuffy, Frendrup, Sow, Mitaj; Baldanzi; Vitinha, Colombo

Napoli imaginable starting lineup:

Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Marin, Spinazzola; Anguissa, Lobotka, McTominay; Politano, Hojlund, Alisson

We say: Genoa 1-2 Napoli

Starting his reign with maximum points, arch-pragmatist Allegri tin get the amended of De Rossi, whose progressive attack does not ever wage off.

Genoa should origin an absence-hit Napoli defence problems, but the visitors person overmuch greater spot successful midfield and much potency successful attack.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.