Napoli vs Fiorentina. Prediction and Preview. Probable Lineups, Team News, Stats, and more

SSC Napoli will host ACF Fiorentina in the Supercoppa Italiana semifinal match at the Al-Awwal Park Stadium in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia. The fixture will take place on Friday, January 19, beginning at 00:30 IST.

Parimatch News will tell you everything you need to know ahead of the upcoming match.

Napoli News & Current Form: 

European football is taking over Saudi Arabia. Last week in Riyadh, the Spanish Super Cup rattled, Real Madrid CF put on a show against Atlético de Madrid (5:3), stomped FC Barcelona (4:1) and took the title. Very cool matches have spoiled the local crowd, and now the Italians are getting in on the act. 

The Super Cup draw will follow the same pattern: two semi-final matches and the final. Italian champion Napoli begin their journey to the trophy with a match against Fiorentina, who are closer to the middle of the standings.

Last season, Napoli managed to win the Scudetto for the first time since 1990 and the Diego Maradona era. After the championship season, the club’s management managed to keep the core of the squad, but it was not possible to keep Luciano Spalletti. Rudi Garcia was appointed in his place, but he lasted only a few months, after which he was sent into retirement. Now the Neapolitan team is managed by Walter Mazzarri, but even he cannot get progress from the players.

Having dropped out of the title race, the hosts occupy only 8th place in the Serie A standings. There is already a decent gap of 11 points to the top three, with Milan sitting in 3rd place. But the gap to the European Cup places is minimal, with 1 point only from sixth-placed Bologna FC, but the current form of the Southern side does not inspire the fans with hope. 

The team has scored 30 times in 20 rounds of the championship, and Victor Osimhen, who scored 7 goals and gave 2 goal assists, has the most on his account. But they concede a lot and 25 goals conceded is only 11 in Serie A.

New coach of Napoli Walter Mazzarri still cannot organize his team

In the last 5 rounds of Serie A, the Blues celebrated victory twice, drew 1 time and won 2 times. In the 16th round they defeated Cagliari Calcio at home (2:1), it was a difficult match, in which they managed to win only in the end of the game, and the author of the winning goal was Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who hit the target with Osimhen’s pass.

Next came an away defeat to AS Roma (0:2), which turned out to be a very emotional match with 12 yellow cards and 2 red cards. Both red cards went to the Neapolitans: first Matteo Politano was sent off and then Osimhen, which the Romans took full advantage of, scoring both goals on the power play.

And in the 18th round the home walls failed to help break through the defense of AC Monza, with whom they parted with a draw (0:0) and had a lot of chances, but were let down by the implementation. Then Neapolitans again suffered an away defeat and now their offenders were Torino FC (0:3), and in this meeting the guests got a suspension, which largely prevented them from scoring points in this meeting.

In the last round Napoli got a long-awaited victory in the championship after a series of 3 matches without victories. In the home meeting they managed to beat US Salernitana with difficulties (2:1), despite a decent advantage in the match in almost all game components. The hosts snatched victory in the 9th minute of the match, when Amir Rrahmani scored the winning goal with a beautiful shot from the rebound into the corner of the goal.

As for the Coppa Italia, on the 20th of December Neapolitans crashed out of the Cup in the 1/8 finals, losing to modest Frosinone Calcio (0:4), where they conceded 4 goals in the final third of the match. In that game they showed terrible performance, both in attack and in defense and hence the unpleasant defeat. But in the UEFA Champions League the situation is better. After finishing second in their group, Napoli will face Barcelona in the 1/8 final.

The Blues are going through some tough times, which is why the team’s performances have dropped significantly. The changes in the squad are mostly to blame for all of this. Apart from the fact that the team’s main goalkeeper Alex Meret has still not recovered from his injury, the most expensive player in Napoli’s squad, Victor Osimhen, is trying to help the Nigerian national team in the African Cup of Nations, and André Frank Zambo Anguissa to Cameroon. So the Neapolitans have serious losses in both defense and attack. 

Mazzarri fails to systematize the game and effectively use the best qualities of the leaders, in particular Kvaratskhelia. The midfielder has scored only one goal in the last seven rounds. In addition, the Georgian’s agent recently had a conflict with striker Osimhen. Everything leads to the fact that the Neapolitans this season will remain without trophies. 

It is worth noting that for Napoli this is their fifth participation in the Super Cup and twice lifted the trophy above their heads, the last time in 2014. It is noteworthy that all 4 previous matches in this competition the Azzurri have played against Juventus FC.

Fiorentina News & Current Form: 

Fiorentina have gathered quite a solid squad, but the team of Vincenzo Italiano could hardly be considered a clear contender for a place in the top four before the start of the championship. However, the Violas have skilfully exploited the crisis of their rivals and have been in fourth place in the table for quite some time now, but the competition for the last Champions League spot is off the charts.

In 20 matches played they have managed to put 34 points in their piggy bank and from the nearest rival at the top of the table AC Milan are 8 points behind. But SS Lazio are breathing down their necks and are only 1 point behind the Roman team. 

Vincenzo’s team is not bad in defense and conceded 21 goals in 20 rounds of the championship and this is the 6th indicator in Serie A. And they managed to score 29 times and it is also the 6th indicator in the league, Giacomo Bonaventura and Nicolás González scored the most 6 times each.

In the last 5 Serie A rounds, the Violas have won three times and lost once each. In the round of 16 they managed to beat Hellas Verona FC (1:0) at home with a minimal difference in the score. It was a difficult match and the opponent could take the lead as early as 3 minutes into the match, but failed to convert a penalty and had a lot of chances during the game, and the hosts managed to snatch victory in the end of the match thanks to Beltran’s goal on 78 minutes of the game.

Then with the same score (1:0) there was an away win over modest Monza and here again the winning goal was scored by Lucas Beltrán, who scored in the beginning of the game, in the 7th minute, after which no one else could score and they played reliably in defense.

And in the 18th round again (1:0) the victory happened at home over Torino, where it turned out to be a tight encounter with a minimum number of chances and only at the end of the game the hosts managed to distinguish themselves after an accurate shot by Luca Ranieri with a pass from Michael Kayode.

Fiorentina’s winning streak was broken on matchday 19 by US Sassuolo, who beat their opponents 1:0 at home. A quick goal in the 9th minute of the match put the guests in a daze, who despite the fact that they looked sharper in attack, were unable to get back on track. Vincenzo’s men looked much more favorable than their opponents and had a great chance to equalize, but in the 64th minute Bonaventura failed to convert an 11-meter shot. Had he scored then, the encounter would surely have ended very differently.

Giacomo Bonaventura – top scorer of ACF Fiorentina with 6 goals to his account

In the last matchday 20, the team were settled for only a draw with Udinese Calcio (2:2), having come back twice, losing in the course of the match. And they managed to get back in the last minutes of the match, when a penalty was awarded to a goal Udinese’s goal and was successfully realized by M’Bala Nzola.

In the recent Italian Cup quarter-final, which was played on the 10th of January, Fiorentina managed to pass Bologna in a penalty shoot-out (5:4) after a goalless match (0:0) in the main time of the game. In the next stage, they will have to fight with Atalanta BC for passage to the final. Recall that last season were finalists of the Italian Cup, but they lost to Inter Milan in regular time with a score of 2:1.

The squad is still missing center-back Dodo, midfielder Gaetano Castrovilli and Argentine winger Gonzalez (6 goals in Serie A), all of whom are injured. Added to that is the absence of Côte d’Ivoire’s Christian Kouamé, who is currently playing in the Africa Cup of Nations. 

Argentine forward Beltran, who joined the club last summer from River Plate, has been in good form in recent weeks and has scored 4 goals – Vincenzo Italiano will have to choose between him and Nzola. Midfielder Davide Faraoni moved from Verona in the winter and will compete for a place in the center of the pitch.

Napoli form guide: W-L-L-D-L-W

Fiorentina form guide: W-W-W-L-D-D

Napoli vs Fiorentina Head-To-Head Record:

• April 10, 2022: Napoli 2 – 3 Fiorentina (Serie A);
• August 28, 2022: Fiorentina 0 – 0 Napoli (Serie A);
• May 7, 2023: Napoli 1 – 0 Fiorentina (Serie A);
• October 8, 2023: Napoli 1 – 3 Fiorentina (Serie A).

Napoli vs Fiorentina Predicted XI:

Napoli’s possible starting lineup (4-3-3): Gollini; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Rui; Cajuste, Lobotka, Zielinski; Politano, Raspadori, Kvaratskhelia.

Fiorentina’s possible starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Terracciano; Kayode, Milenkovic, Martinez Quarta, Biraghi; Duncan, Arthur; Sottil, Bonaventura, Ikone; Beltran.

Statistical preview of the match Napoli vs Fiorentina:

• Napoli’s First XI average age is 28.7 years, Fiorentina’s First XI average age is 27.7 years.
• The total value of Napoli’s squad is 514 mln euros, while the total of Fiorentina is just 252 mln euros.
• Federico La Penna has been appointed as the center referee. The referee has already served 8 games this season, showing an average of 5 Yellow Cards and also whistles 23 fouls per game. 
• Napoli have averaged 6.35 corners per game, while Fiorentina have averaged 4.95 corner standards. In the last face-to-face meeting, which took place in October last year, the rivals served ten corners. 
• Fiorentina are averaging 2.1 yellow cards per game this season, while Napoli are averaging as many as 2.6. 
• Only in 2 of the last 9 matches of the club from Napoli both teams have scored.
• In 4 of the last 6 matches 3 or more goals scored per game involving Napoli.
• The Neapolitans are scoring an average of 1 goal per game in their last 7 matches.
• Both teams have scored in 4 of the Violas’ last 9 games.
• Fiorentina has scored in 7 of the last 9 matches.

What has been said before the match:

Gaffer of Napoli Walter Mazzarri ahead of the Super Cup fixture with Fiorentina:

“I hope and wish that the victory over Salernitana can give us a morale boost. Fiorentina beat Napoli in the league, we have to find the right measures to play a match with balance and the right mentality.”

“At the moment the purchases and the market do not affect us. We are only mentally focused on the Super Cup now. The message I like to convey to the team is to give our best in the upcoming competition.”

“Rather, I am happy with Saturday’s success because it gave the boys more confidence and serenity. We must continue on this path to regain the morale we were losing in the last period.”

“Let’s say it was a particular match but I don’t want to talk about the past. Many years have passed, Napoli has made great strides, won the Scudetto and is firmly in Europe. We are only focused on tomorrow, we come from an up-and-down moment, we need a game in which the players can express themselves at their best.”

“In the meantime I wasn’t there in that match and I don’t like to talk about a time when I was coaching a colleague of mine. I’ve obviously seen the match again these days, it was a bad defeat for the boys and I’m trying to understand what kind of solutions I can implement to remedy certain situations we suffered in that match.”

Vincenzo Italiano, coach of Fiorentina, about his team’s recent results:

“We have to be fully focused on this league match because we need to get off to a good start after the false step at Sassuolo. We have a great rating and we want to keep fuelling it with performances and try to pick up points to improve it.”

“We have a good satisfaction and tomorrow we hope to repeat the success against Udinese and then we will think about what awaits us in the next commitments.”

“We have added an important player, experienced and of quality; I am convinced that he will be of great help to us and will help us a lot in this area to grow and mature Kayode, also we have restored Sottile who has been training with us for the last two sessions; the rest are fine.”

“Udinese are a difficult team, very strong physically and possessing quality when they can get into their own half of the pitch. We prepared for it by focusing on our strengths and where we can trouble the opponent, with the same spirit to always aim for victory because our ranking and the period we are in require points and great performances.”

Napoli vs Fiorentina Prediction:

Napoli and Fiorentina approach the semi-finals of the Italian Super Cup in opposite moods. Napoli have been looking worse and worse with every stretch of the 23/24 campaign, and in their last five games in all competitions they have clinched only one victory having scored the winning goal in the 96th minute, and that was against the Serie A relegation-threatened team. The Florentines, in contrast, are well and consistently picking up points, suffering only 1 defeat in their last 11 games in all competitions, which opened them a way into the UEFA Champions League zone. This marks one of their best forms in recent history.

Vincenzo Italiano continues to prove that cup matches are his cup of tea, something reminiscent of Jose Mourinho’s approach. Last season his charges reached the Conference League and Italian Cup finals, and now in the Italian Cup they have already reached the semi-finals. La Viola play with pragmatism, paying huge attention to the defense (0.63 goals conceded in the last 8 games), even though it often comes at the expense of the attacking versatility and maneuvers: only 7 goal takings were registered in this stretch (scoring 0.85 per game on average), which is a very low figure in itself. And only once more than 2.5 goals were scored totally in 90 minutes during this period. Considering that the upcoming match is an away game, the Violets will be even more eager to build a solid defense and wait for mistakes from their opponents, who are used to attacking with a lot of manpower. Moreover, Napoli have a better and more established set of performers, which makes it a logical choice to play second fiddle with an emphasis on quick-footed wingers and the realization of set-pieces.

Parimatch News staff prediction:

We say: Fiorentina will win and the match total will be less than 3 – Yes.

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