Preview: Napoli vs. Hellas Verona - prediction, team news, lineups

On a tally of 4 consecutive wins, Napoli volition proceed their quest to regain the Scudetto connected Sunday evening, erstwhile they invited Hellas Verona to Stadio Maradona.

Verona pulled disconnected a large upset erstwhile the sides met connected the opening matchday, and they present purpose to defy agelong likelihood by doing the double.

Match preview

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Taking afloat vantage of Atalanta BC's travel to Saudi Arabia for the Supercoppa Italiana, Napoli seized top spot successful Serie A past weekend, with an awesome distant triumph implicit high-flying Fiorentina.

David Neres spectacularly opened the scoring astatine Stadio Franchi, earlier Romelu Lukaku's punishment and a Scott McTominay onslaught enactment the effect beyond doubt, making it 3 goals and 3 points to commencement 2025.

Napoli ended the archetypal fractional of the play with 44 points - the club's third-best tally this period - and they look acceptable to combat it retired with Atalanta and reigning champions Inter Milan for the title.

Benefiting from Antonio Conte's organisational skills, the Partenopei person recorded the astir cleanable sheets crossed Europe's apical 5 leagues this term; a tally of 11 is their astir astatine this signifier of immoderate run since 1986.

While Napoli person not mislaid immoderate of their past 19 location matches against Verona successful Serie A - winning connected 14 occasions - they volition not instrumentality Sunday's task lightly, fixed however events unfolded connected Conte's league debut.

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In airy of Napoli's antiaircraft grounds since, Verona's 3-0 occurrence astatine Stadio Bentegodi connected the opening matchday is each the much remarkable.

After Daniel Mosquera bagged a brace to stun the 2023 Scudetto winners successful August, Hellas could present bash the treble implicit their confederate counterparts for the archetypal clip successful top-flight past - and caller results volition boost content they tin execute specified a feat.

Paolo Zanetti's men person taken 7 points from their past 4 outings, including 3-2 distant wins implicit Emilian brace Parma and Bologna, positive a 0-0 gully with Udinese past weekend.

By toppling Napoli again, the Gialloblu would not lone determination further wide of the driblet zone but they would besides grounds a tally of 3 Serie A roadworthy wins for the archetypal clip since December 1984.

That is intelligibly easier said than done, arsenic they volition bring the division's worst antiaircraft record to Naples, wherever their hosts person conceded six league goals each season.

Napoli Serie A form:

Napoli signifier (all competitions):

Hellas Verona Serie A form:

Team News

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Napoli wingers Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Matteo Politano are being intimately monitored up of Sunday's game, arsenic some adjacent successful connected returns from injury, but Antonio Conte whitethorn sanction an unchanged starting XI.

David Neres and Leonardo Spinazzola could again enactment Romelu Lukaku up front, portion Mathias Olivera is expected to retrieve from a calf occupation and support his spot astatine left-back.

Conte - who is acceptable to adhd Bournemouth midfielder Phillip Billing to his squad on loan - volition again beryllium without commanding centre-back Alessandro Buongiorno, truthful Juan Jesus continues to deputise successful defence.

Verona caput southbound without 2 regular starters owed to suspension: Suat Serdar was sent disconnected during the 2nd fractional of past week's gully with Udinese, portion Jackson Tchatchoua has accrued 5 Serie A bookings.

Meanwhile, Martin Frese, Juan Cruz and Abdou Harroui are each unavailable done injury.

Among players making their Serie A debut this season, Hellas striker Casper Tengstedt has scored the astir goals (six truthful acold - 3 astatine location and 3 away), and helium should spouse Amin Sarr successful attack.

Napoli imaginable starting lineup:
Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka; Neres, McTominay, Spinazzola; Lukaku

We say: Napoli 2-0 Hellas Verona

There volition beryllium nary repetition of Verona's daze triumph successful the summer, arsenic Napoli are a overmuch tougher seed to ace now.

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