Napoli vs Sassuolo prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-08-26 18:45.
It wasnât the ideal start for manager Rudi Garcia, who has big shoes to fill at Napoli following Luciano Spallettiâs departure in the summer, as his side found themselves 1-0 behind after just seven minutes against Frosinone. Fortunately, Napoli bounced back impressively to secure a 3-1 victory, in turn collecting a seventh successive season-opening win, and theyâll now bid to win in gameweek two for a fourth straight campaign.
After their win at Frosinone, Garcia praised his sideâs reaction to falling behind, stating that playing like they did would see them âscore many goalsâ. Napoli are widely tipped to do exactly that in this contest based on recent history, as not only do they boast a dominant aggregate scoreline of 12-1 in the last three H2Hs with Sassuolo (W3), but theyâve also netted 2+ goals with wins âto nilâ in each of their last three first home matches of a new SA season.
Fears that Sassuolo could be set for a tough campaign werenât eased in their 2-0 season-opening defeat at home to Atalanta. Youâd have to go back to April for the last time they enjoyed a SA victory, and their seven winless games since, combined with an uninspiring extra time success over Cosenza in the Coppa Italia last week, suggests things could be set to get worse before it gets better.
Juventusâ unrelenting interest in wantaway star forward Domenico Berardi certainly isnât helping their cause, but that saga looks set to come to a head before the transfer window shuts. Manager Alessio Dionisi already has enough problems on the pitch to deal with, and one big ongoing one beyond their form is his sideâs susceptibility to conceding late on, with the late double scored by Atalanta meaning theyâve shipped seven goals beyond the 75th minute across their last five SA matches.
Key battle: Last seasonâs SA top-scorer Victor Osimhen (G26) has started with a bang, netting a double in Napoliâs win last weekend, meaning heâs now netted a brace in three of his last four competitive appearances for club or country. One of those aiming to keep him quiet will be Sassuolo defender Martin Erlic, with no SA player making more clearances than him in gameweek one (six).
Hot streak: Napoli havenât scored before half-time in any of their last eight SA home matches.