Napoli vs Fiorentina prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-10-07 18:45.
Serie A (SA) arguably saves its best fixture for last this weekend as two of the competition’s most in-form sides meet late on Sunday at Napoli’s Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. It wasn’t to be in midweek at this venue for the hosts, who suffered a 3-2 Champions League defeat against Real Madrid, but a return of 14 points from their opening seven SA outings (W4, D2, L1) has the Partenopei fourth as they aim to defend their league title.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, that solid if unspectacular start has come courtesy of some free-scoring form, as Napoli have failed to find the net in just one of those SA matches. Additionally, five of their seven league outings this season have seen them net more than once as Rudi Garcia’s men look to score more than three goals in three consecutive SA games for just the third time in club history!
Visiting Fiorentina could only manage a 2-2 draw in midweek European action themselves against Ferencváros, though at least that stalemate further extended their impressive start to a campaign that sees them enter SA matchday 8 in fifth place with the exact same record as Napoli. That’s a higher position than they reached in all but one of the matchdays last campaign, with La Viola currently in the mix for a famous return to the Champions League for the first time since 2009/10.
For that to happen, Vincenzo Italiano’s side will need to continue to improve their SA away form, which has so far yielded seven points from four trips this term. A 4-0 loss at Inter Milan earlier this campaign highlights their struggles against Italy’s elite on the road however, while their run of just two away SA H2H victories in their last nine attempts (D1, L6) is uninspiring, although one of those wins proved highly significant during Napoli’s late-season collapse in 2022 that cost them the title that year.
Players to watch: Victor Osimhen remains in fine form after netting five goals in seven SA appearances this season, while he’s struck in the last two home H2Hs (G2). Meanwhile, Nicolás González is in equally strong form for Fiorentina, having scored six times in ten competitive club outings – with two of those goals coming before the fifth minute!
Hot stat: Only two of the last ten H2Hs saw the home side on the day win.