Serie A: Napoli Must Ace Difficult Fiorentina Test to Reclaim Top Berth

Fiorentina vs Napoli

Napoli will take on Fiorentina at the Artemio Franchi Stadium this weekend. If they win this Serie A match and certain Serie A 2025 results go their way, Antonio Conte’s side will return to the top of the Italian top-flight table in no time. The Partenopei are coming off a 1-0 victory against Venezia to extend their winning streak to three games, putting them level with top-seeded Atalanta with 41 points.

Meanwhile, Fiorentina hit a rough patch because they’ve gone winless in their last three matches. La Viola suffered back-to-back losses against Bologna (1-0) and Udinese (2-1), although they salvaged a point against Juventus (2-2) last time out.

Napoli cannot afford to underestimate Fiorentina (despite their recent slide) because the hosts are eager to put on a show in front of their fans.

 

Talking Points

Kean keen on winning the Capocannoniere with Fiorentina

Moise Kean was once again under the spotlight, as he scored against his former side Juventus to help Fiorentina earn a point last Sunday. After scoring La Viola’s first goal of the match, Kean assisted on the second goal by tipping the ball to Riccardo Sottil’s way to set up a late equaliser.

With 11 league goals and two assists, Moise Kean is the team’s top attacking threat this season. The 24-year-old striker is also solo second in the Capocannoniere race behind Atalanta’s Mateo Retegui and Inter Milan’s Marcus Thuram, who both have 12 league goals. After languishing at Juventus in the past few seasons, he has finally settled in his new home with La Viola.

Fiorentina are determined to fight for a European football berth, so they’ve added reinforcements to help Moise Kean. La Viola just completed the transfer of Michael Folorunsho from Napoli and Nicolas Valentini from Boca Juniors. Folorunsho and Valentini might not be on the matchday squad this weekend, but they should be on it sooner rather than later.

 

Napoli are a bit shorthanded at the back

Napoli have only conceded two league goals throughout December 2024, and it makes you wonder whether they can sustain it this year since they’re a bit undermanned at the back. Alessandro Buongiorno is still recovering from a serious back injury he had in training last month, and the club also terminated long-time full-back Mario Rui’s contract last Monday.

Antonio Conte will likely maintain his starting XI against Venezia, with Amir Rrahmani, Juan Jesus, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, and Mathias Olivera forming a veteran-laden back four to cover goalkeeper Alex Meret.

On the other hand, Napoli are far from shorthanded on the other side of the pitch, as they have the requisite firepower to be a top team in Italy, with Romelu Lukaku, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Scott McTominay, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, and David Neres combining for 18 league goals and 14 assists this season. Giacomo Raspadori came off the bench and scored the matchwinner against Venezia, but he has been linked with a move away from Naples.

 

History

Fiorentina have earned four points in their last two Serie A games against Napoli (W1, D1). However, La Viola have not won at home against the Partenopei in Serie A since a 3-0 result in April 2018, when Giovanni Simeone scored a hat-trick. In their last six Serie A matches at the Artemio Franchi Stadium against Napoli, Fiorentina have recorded three draws and three losses. Raffaele Palladino’s side has not won the first Serie A match of the calendar year since a 2-1 result over Juventus in 2017.

Napoli have amassed 41 points in the first 18 matchdays in 2024-25, which is a 13-point increase at this juncture last term. After losing 3-0 to Hellas Verona in their first away match this season, the Partenopei since have won six of the next eight, conceding only three goals and keeping five clean sheets.

 

Betting Tip

The Serie A 2025 odds anticipate an action-packed encounter between Fiorentina and Napoli this weekend. Napoli are the slight favourites at 2.42 to win, while Fiorentina are pegged at 2.78 odds in the 1X2 market.

We feel these two sides will share the spoils, especially since La Viola have been tough to beat at home. Besides our recommended bet above, SBOTOP bettors can also go for alternatives like Total Goal 2-3 at 1.97, Over 2.00 at 1.61, Over 2.25 at 1.88, or Over 2.50 at 2.17.

Furthermore, a Correct Score of 2-2 – the result of their most recent matchup – has a robust 15.50 offer and a Correct Score of 1-1 has a significantly lesser offer of 5.80 your bet.

   

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