Serie A Preview: Genoa vs Napoli – Team News, Lineups & Prediction | OneFootball

Stadio Luigi Ferraris is the venue as Genoa and Napoli go head-to-head in their opening 2026/27 Serie A match. Saturday’s clash in Liguria also marks the beginning of a new era for the Partenopei, who severed ties with Antonio Conte at the end of last season.

Despite spending most of the 2025/26 campaign in Serie A’s lower reaches, Genoa never really had to worry about their top-flight status. Indeed, the Griffone finished 16th, albeit seven points clear of 18th-placed Cremonese, securing a fourth consecutive season in the elite division.

Genoa endured a disappointing start to last season, failing to win any of their opening league outings. However, Daniele De Rossi’s late-autumn arrival turned the club’s fortunes around, and the Roma icon is now expected to build on that impressive turnaround after putting his stamp on the Genoa squad in the summer.

Djibril Sow and Hamed Traore were among the standout signings. Their arrivals are intended to help Genoa finish in the upper half of the Serie A table for the first time since 2014/15. Napoli’s ambitions are quite different, even though their Scudetto defense fell short last term.

Beaten to the title by Inter by a whopping 11 points, Napoli parted ways with Conte at the start of the summer. After an unenviable short-term stint at Milan, Massimiliano Allegri replaced the eccentric coach, but it’s worth noting that he’s still waiting for his first marquee signing.

Match Preview

Genoa

De Rossi could not have imagined a better way to kick off the new season as Genoa trounced second-tier Ascoli 4-1 in the opening Coppa Italia round last week. However, the task ahead is considerably tougher, with Napoli’s visit to the Ferraris providing an early test of whether the Rossoblu can turn their summer optimism into tangible progress.

Winless on the opening league weekend since 2020/21, Genoa will face a bogey team at the start of the new campaign this time around. Indeed, they have beaten Napoli just once across their last 26 Serie A meetings (D8, L17). Moreover, the Griffone lost both matches against this opposition last term despite scoring the opening goal on each occasion.

Still, Genoa’s set-piece prowess could give them cause for optimism, with only Inter (29) scoring more goals from dead-ball situations than the Rossoblu (21) in Serie A last season. Lorenzo Colombo, who scored his first-ever Serie A goal against Napoli in 2022 and also found the net in last season’s corresponding fixture, could be among the main beneficiaries of Genoa’s proficiency from set pieces.

Napoli

One of Allegri’s first tasks in charge will be to address Napoli’s travel sickness. For perspective, six of their eight league losses last season came on the road. Yet, they showed signs of progress toward the end of the campaign, going unbeaten in five consecutive away matches (W3, D2).

Defensive solidity was one of the Partenopei’s defining features under Conte, with only four teams conceding fewer league goals than Napoli’s 36 last term. Given Allegri’s defensive-minded philosophy, maintaining or even improving that proud record should not be an issue. However, scoring goals might!

Napoli sold Romelu Lukaku to Fenerbahce earlier this month and have yet to sign a suitable replacement. Rasmus Hojlund’s first season at the Diego Maradona Stadium was decent but far from outstanding. Furthermore, Allegri’s Milan netted just 53 goals last season, fewer than any other top-five team.

With 15 of Napoli’s 23 Serie A wins last term coming by a single-goal margin, their ability to grind out narrow victories could be tested even further if Allegri cannot find a reliable source of goals.

Team News

Sow is likely to make his Genoa debut tomorrow, with De Rossi expecting the former Eintracht Frankfurt and Sevilla man to replace Ruslan Malinovskyi, who left for Trabzonspor. Despite Jeff Ekhator’s move to Juventus, there’s still enough firepower in this Griffone attack. Colombo and Vitinha are expected to lead the line after thriving together last season.

On the other hand, Napoli will take this trip without the defensive duo, Sam Beukema and Alessandro Buongiorno. Their absence means Amir Rrahmani and Rafa Marin are likely to start in the back four. David Neres is also on the sidelines, with Alisson Santos expected to take his place on the wing.

Genoa vs Napoli Potential Starting Lineups

Genoa (3-4-2-1): Bijlow; Marcandalli, Ostigard, Vasquez; Norton-Cuffy, Frendrup, Sow, Mitaj; Baldanzi, Vitinha; Colombo.

Napoli (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Marin, Spinazzola; Anguissa, Lobotka, McTominay; Politano, Hojlund, Alisson.

Genoa vs Napoli Prediction

There’s no doubt that Genoa could give Napoli’s absence-hit defense a headache, but Allegri should kick off his tenure with a win, nonetheless. Knowing Allegri’s pragmatic style, it probably won’t be pretty. Yet, the traveling fans may not care much about the aesthetics, especially after two years under Conte.