Preview and Prediction
Napoli’s future in continental competition may have been definite with Coppa Italia title on hand. Yet, they are still aiming for better position to finish in the top six at least. That is still quite possible as Gatusso’s men are only three points behind AC Milan on the sixth and there are still three games remaining. This weekend they are hosting the team below them, Sassuolo. They are sitting on the 8th with six point difference from Il Partenopei.
The teams’ previous matches
Fabian Ruiz and Co had a disappointing result while travelling to Ennio Tardini. Parma could win over them 2-1. All goals here were scored by penalties of Gianluca Caprari and Dejan Kulusevski for Parma and Lorenzo Insigne for the visitors. It was Napoli’s second defeat since Serie A resumed.
Sassuolo were unable to benefit from playing at home as they did against Juventus. This time AC Milan thumped them 2-1. Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s brace were enough to make them suffer. Their respond by Francesco Caputo’s penalty was in vain.
Possible tactic
Gennaro Gatusso has always been in favour of deploying 4-3-3. Insigne, Dries Mertens and Mateo Politano or Arkadiusz Milik are the best option upfront. He often rotates his squad too for the sake of physical fitness. His only concern for this upcoming fixture is David Ospina’s injury. Alex Meret should be fine in taking the Colombian international post. Yet, his inconsistency is his main flaw.
Roberto De Zerbi, opts for 4-2-3-1 formation. He counts on the thirty-two-year old Francesco Caputo supported by Domenico Berardi and Jeremie Boga on both flanks. Yet, his starting IX would be incomplete since the former Napoli man, Vlad Chiriches is sidelined due to his injury along with Gregorie Defrel Pedro Obiang and Fillipo Romagna.
Players to watch
In Napoli, the captain Lorenzo Insigne is irreplaceable in the starting IX despite only scoring seven and providing six assists. Some other key men in the squad are the Spaniard Fabian Ruiz, Mario Rui and the Belgian international Dries Mertens.
Sassuolo’s top performers lately are their top scorer Francesco Caputo who has contributed nineteen goals and seven assists, Domenico Berardi with his thirteen goals and seven assists plus the former Dortmund man, Jeremy Toljan. Another notable key man to watch is the Ivorian Jeremie Boga who excels his acceleration and pace.
Napoli vs Sassuolo Prediction
This game might be not as decisive as the one which involves the reigning Champions contenders’ on the top. In fact, it is more of a chance for bouncing back after their loss in the previous game. Nevertheless, this could be a good opportunity for Gatusso’ men to experiment his tactics before continuing their campaign in the Champions League next month. The home side is still expected to come out as a winner in the end.
Betting odds
As the clear favourite, Napoli is in the win market at 1.57 whereas Domenico Berardi and Co are priced to win at 5.35. The odds for a draw result are only at 4.45.
