Verona vs Napoli prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2024-08-17 16:30.
[p]Matchday one in Serie A sees Verona welcome Napoli, with the hosts surprisingly finishing only three places below their esteemed, and then title-defending visitors, in 13th last campaign. A sizable 15-point gap separated the sides however, and with the Yellow and Blues of Verona finishing just three points above the relegation places, their ultimate priority will be finishing above the drop zone for a sixth consecutive year. [/p]
[p]Repeating last seasons’ opening-day victory over Empoli (1-0) would lay down a marker for Italian football legend and Verona manager Paolo Zanetti. But this will be no easy feat with the hosts’ having beaten Napoli just once in their last 15 H2Hs (D3, L11), a run which includes a 5-2 MD1 home defeat to this opposition in 2022/23. [/p]
[p]That season saw Napoli reclaim their place at the top of the Serie A throne for the first time since 1990 when they were led by the great Diego Maradona. But considering last season’s turbulent campaign in which they finished tenth – their third-worst top-tier finish since the turn of the century – a dire record of just two league away wins in their last 12 outings (D5, L5) will instil little belief they can make the perfect start to improving upon that. [/p]
[p]It might be a tendency to race out of the blocks that sees the visitors over the line then, as you’d have to go back to the 2016/17 season for the last time Napoli failed to make a victorious start. If new manager Antonio Conte has looked at his side’s recent history then he’ll fancy extending that streak here, with Napoli winning their last three consecutive visits to Verona whilst scoring ten goals in the process. Although they might need to achieve this without the services of their highly sought-after star striker Victor Osimhen, who is reportedly on the verge of leaving the club.  [/p]
[p]Players to watch: Verona’s Tomáš Suslov will be hoping to transfer over some impressive league form to this fixture, after grabbing two first-half goals across the final two games of 23/24. Matteo Politano will want his piece of the action too however, with the winger grabbing three goal contributions (G1, A2) from his last four Serie A away outings![/p]
[p]Hot stat: A Verona-held Serie A H2H hasn’t been drawn since 1988 (VER: W4, L10). [/p]
[p][i]Written by Luke Bridle[/i][/p]