Serie A Preview: Napoli vs Genoa – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Stadio Diego Armando Maradona sets the stage for a ‘David vs Goliath’ Serie A showdown between Napoli and Genoa. While the visitors entered the round level on points with pacesetters Milan, the visitors remain pinned to the foot of the table amid a rough patch.

Inspired by Rasmus Hojlund’s double, Napoli beat Sporting CP 2-1 on Wednesday to get off the mark in the Champions League after a 2-0 defeat at Manchester City. More importantly, Antonio Conte’s side restored some confidence after a disappointing 2-1 loss at Milan in last Sunday’s Serie A top-table six-pointer.

As a result, Napoli slipped to second in the standings after round five, though there’s nothing but goal difference to separate them from Milan before the kick-off. With the international break around the corner, the Partenopei would appreciate three points here, and the bookies fancy them heavily to do just that.

Seeking their first league win of the season, Genoa head into proceedings on the back of a 3-0 rout at the hands of Lazio. That result condemned them to a third defeat in five Serie A matches this season (D2), leaving Patrick Vieira’s side nailed to the bottom of the table.

Furthermore, this is Genoa’s joint-worst point tally after the opening five rounds in Serie A since the 1994/95 season. On the bright side, the previous occasion in 2017/18 saw them finish 12th in the standings. An immediate improvement is necessary if they’re to replicate that feat and save Vieira’s job.

Match Preview

Napoli

A lack of consistency has seen Napoli alternate between winning and losing across their last five outings in all competitions (W3, L2). Interestingly, each result (win/loss) saw the winning side open the scoring and get on the scoresheet at least twice.

Therefore, a flying start would be more than welcome for the Partenopei, who are at risk of losing back-to-back Serie A games for the first time since November 2023. However, the Maradona Stadium has been a fortress. Conte’s men have racked up seven wins in their last eight home league games (D1).

Despite their dominant home form, Napoli have been vulnerable in defense, conceding in seven of their last 11 top-flight fixtures here. Confidence comes from their formidable home run against Genoa as they’ve gone unbeaten in their last 15 Serie A meetings on this ground (W9, D6).

Genoa

In addition to their woeful record in Naples, Genoa have only won one of their last 24 league clashes against Napoli at any venue (D8, L15), courtesy of a 2-1 home triumph in February 2021. Bucking that negative trend on the South Coast could be easier said than done despite Genoa’s decent away form.

Bringing the tail-end of last season into the equation, Vieira’s charges have avoided defeat on three of their four Serie A road trips (W1, D2). Curiously, that promising sequence started with a 2-2 draw at this stadium, giving the Griffins hope that they could find some light at the end of the tunnel.

However, the visitors have been notoriously slow out of the blocks on their top-flight travels, conceding the opening goal in nine of their last 12 away league games. That’s hardly surprising, considering they remain the only side in Serie A this season yet to score before the hour mark.

Team News

With Alessandro Buongiorno and Amir Rrahmani out injured, Conte will likely turn to Luca Marianucci and Juan Jesus to form the center-back pairing. Meanwhile, Giovanni Di Lorenzo returns to the fold after serving a one-game ban, leaving star striker Romelu Lukaku as the only remaining absentee.

On the other hand, Genoa will take this trip without standout forwards Junior Messias and Maxwel Cornet. Summer signing Nicolae Stanciu is also unavailable for selection due to a thigh injury, meaning Ruslan Malinovskyi will probably assume playmaking duties.

Napoli vs Genoa Potential Starting Line-ups

Napoli (4-1-4-1): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Beukema, Jesus, Olivera; Lobotka; Politano, Anguissa, De Bruyne, McTominay; Hojlund.

Genoa (4-2-3-1): Leali; Norton-Cuffy, Ostigard, Vasquez, Martin; Frendrup, Masini; Ellertsson, Malinovskyi, Venturino; Colombo.

Napoli vs Genoa Prediction

Anything other than three points for Napoli would be an upset of epic proportions. Conte’s men should have too much firepower and quality for a struggling Genoa side. Expect the Partenopei to dominate from start to finish and return to winning ways in style.