Last weekend was a huge match in Napoli’s season and they knew if they could defeat Juventus they would be well on their way to winning the Serie A title. Not only would a win have given them the belief they could win the league this season, it would have dealt a big blow to Juventus’ own title chances. However, Napoli lost the match 1-0 thanks to a goal from former striker Gonzalo Higuain and need to get back to winning ways this weekend against Fiorentina or face the potential of dropping to third place in Serie A.
Italian Serie A – Stadio San Paolo, Naples – Sunday 10th Decmber – 19:00 UK Time
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Draw Best Odd of: 9/2 at Ladbrokes |
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Napoli
AC FlorenzNapoli Form
The home loss to Juventus in Serie A was followed by a 2-1 defeat in Feyenoord in the Champions League and means Napoli have lost two games in a row for the first time since February when they lost to Atalanta in the league and Juventus in the Coppa Italia. Maurizio Sarri made a couple of changes to the starting XI for the Champions League game in mid-week but the manager has little option when it comes to rotation and the concession of a last-minute goal will hurt. However, Napoli are still one of the top performers in Serie A this season and have one of the best records of any club in the top European leagues. In fact, Napoli have lost only 1 of their last 27 Serie A games and will be determined to make that 1 in 28.
Fiorentina Form
Fiorentina are in danger of dropping out of the race for a European place this season, if they do not start winning more games. Last weekend they recorded a welcome 3-0 win over Sassuolo at home but this was their first in 5 Serie A games. Fiorentina have been held by Lazio and SPAL away from home, lost at home to Roma 4-2 and at Crotone 2-1. Stefano Pioli would have been expecting to pick up a lot more than 2 points from those 4 games and it has been a costly period for his team. Away from home, Fiorentina have won 2 of their last 12 league games, which have come this season against the bottom two clubs in Serie A. They have scored in each of their last 5 away games but kept only one clean sheet.
Team News
Napoli must continue without striker Arkadiusz Milik and left-back Faouzi Ghoulam, who are both long term absentees. The host also have a doubt over winger Lorenzo Insigne, who is struggling with injury. Fiorentina travel with a full squad available and have no injury or suspension concerns. They are expected to start in a 4-3-3 formation with Giovanni Simeone and Federico Chiesa playing in attack.
Top Betting Tips
Napoli will be eager to bounce back with a win having suffered 2 rare defeats and with Fiorentina struggling away from home, they should claim maximum points. Napoli to win is 1/3 with Skybet. The one thing Fiorentina have going for them is their goal scoring record away from home and they will be expecting to test the Napoli defence in this match. Napoli to win and both teams to score is 13/8 with Ladbrokes. Cyril Thereau has 6 league goals to his name this season and is Fiorentina’s top scorer. The Frenchman is 13/5 with Ladbrokes to score at any time.