Fiorentina vs Napoli
Napoli have always settled for second place against the mighty Juventus in the past few years and they plan to change that narrative this time as they kick off the Serie A season going up against Florentina on the road.
Getting a head start will be crucial for Napoli, and they’ll be on their toes all throughout the season as they play cat and mouse against the retooled defending champions.
It can be argued that their drawn matchup last February crushed Napoli’s dreams of bringing home the Serie A scudetto and for sure they wouldn’t want that to happen again at the same venue in the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Which is why today, SBOBET takes a look on what’s ahead for this intense affair.
Talking Points
Will Napoli finally get over the hump?
Carlo Ancelotti didn’t waste any time in reinforcing his squad via the transfer market after another maiden finish last term. The Partenopei brought in Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Kostas Manolas and Eljif Elmas after seeing the likes of Amadou Diawara, Raul Albiol, and Marko Rog depart from the squad.
Colombian skipper James Rodriguez was rumoured to possibly join Napoli. However, their loan talks with Real Madrid have reached an impasse which was unfortunate for Gil Azzurri.
Instead, the club went on to pursue PSV Eindhoven star Hirving Lozano for a hefty price. He will be the second highest-paid player in the team after centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly and he is poised to thrive under Carlo Ancelotti’s tutelage.
The former Chelsea boss would like for his men to forget what happened in their pre-season games against Barcelona as the latter exposed their defence, and the combo of the returning Kalidou Koulibaly and Kostas Manolas can address those problems.
Eljif Elmas continues to be an intriguing, young prospect for Gil Azzurri. The 20-year-old brings quality and depth to the midfield along with Fabian Ruiz and Lorenzo Insigne.
With their impressive run over the past few years, Napoli have cemented their status as one of the perennial top-tier contenders in the Serie A. However, they’ll need some luck as well if they plan on overtaking Juventus for the title this year.
Florentina’s new regime
For the most part — Florentina have been floundering in the Serie A — becoming the league’s cellar dwellers for quite some time. La Viola finished 16th in the table last season, staving off relegation after finishing only with 41 points.
But then, things are suddenly looking up for Florentina when billionaire Rocco Commisso took over the club from the Della Valle brothers. Overall, the club did fairly well during the transfer window.
La Viola bolstered their right back and midfield by bringing in Milan Badelj, Erick Pulgar, and Pol Lirola. They’ve also added the likes of Kevin-Prince Boateng and long-time Bayern star Franck Ribery for good measure. Ribery’s signing may have made a lot of headlines, but how this will translate on the pitch still remains to be seen.
The key man for Florentina here is Federico Chiesa. The Italian native chipped in 12 goals in 41 matches last season and is the real attacking threat for La Viola. With a much-improved midfield, expect Chiesa to score more this upcoming season.
On the other hand, Florentina fans will be keen on watching Bartlomiej Dragowski’s performance this season. The Polish goalie is fresh from a new deal with the club after showing glimpses of potential last term. Could he finally be the answer for the GK spot?
With new pieces on hand, all eyes will be on Vincenzo Montella on how will he integrate and use his players for the long season ahead. Expect a more entertaining Florentina squad in the Serie A.
History
Matchups between Napoli and Florentina have always been an intense and tight affair and this one won’t be any different.
These two clubs played in 30 total matches with Napoli winning 15 times and Florentina winning six times. There have been nine draws between them.
Napoli managed to post clean sheets in their two games against Florentina last season.
Betting Tip
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Fiorentina vs Napoli | Napoli Asian Handicap -0.50 @1.80 |
| August 25. 02:45 (GMT+8) |
In this fixture, the away team is at 1.79 odds of winning while Florentina is at 4.50. The Serie A odds of this game to end in a draw is at 3.45.
With La Viola still trying to get acclimatised with their new coach, they may appear to be vulnerable at least in this game. Napoli skippers Milik and Insigne will give them fits on defence.
But expect some noteworthy Serie A 2019 highlights in this fixture and I predict a 2-1 victory in favor of Napoli on this one.
| A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR () BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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