Napoli vs Fiorentina prediction: ITALY: Super Cup betting tips on match 2024-01-17 19:00.
The first Italian Super Cup featuring four teams, an expansion from the traditional one-off match between two clubs, will see the winners and runners-up of the 2022/23 Serie A and Coppa Italia competitions lock horns at the KSU Stadium in Riyadh, when defending Scudetto winners Napoli come up against last season’s Coppa Italia losing finalist Fiorentina.
Only three points separate these sides in Serie A after 20 rounds, but Napoli’s attempt to defend their crown has been nothing short of a disaster. Finding themselves 20 points behind leaders Inter Milan, the Neapolitans are resigned to the fate of merely fighting for a top-four finish, with this tournament maybe their only realistic shot of silverware this campaign. Also knocked out of the Coppa Italia in embarrassing fashion, coach Walter Mazzarri is therefore under pressure to produce results and would perhaps relish the change of scenery, as his team have won just three of their last ten competitive games (D1, L6).
Napoli are the two-time winners of this competition, with their last title coming a decade ago in Qatar. A return to the Middle East could spark hopes of repeating that feat but they’ll have to overcome poor recent H2H form (W1, D1, L3). That included a 3-1 league win earlier in the season for Fiorentina in Naples and unlike their struggling counterparts, La Viola are in control of their own top-four hopes, travelling here with only one loss across 11 competitive games (W7, D3).
Last weekend’s 2-2 draw against Udinese was the first time they scored multiple goals during regular time across their last eight matches, so they’ve hardly been the great entertainers. Manager Vincenzo Italiano will be keen to build on that recent good run, even at the expense of thrills, and improve on his decent personal H2H record against Mazzarri (W1, D1), as Fiorentina look to take advantage of this expanded format and claim just their second Super Cup triumph after 1996.
Players to watch: The absence of Victor Osimhen puts the onus on the rest of Napoli team to step up and Matteo Politano will be gunning for a contribution, having seen his four H2H goals see his team of the day remain unbeaten (W2, D2). Looking to lead Fiorentina’s reply could be Giacomo Bonaventura, who has remained unbeaten in five of his six personal goal-scoring H2Hs (W3, D2) including the win earlier this season.
Hot stat: Five of the last eight competitive H2Hs saw at least one penalty taken.