S.S.C. Napoli plays hosts to Hellas Verona at the Sao Paolo Stadium on October 19, 2019.
Napoli
Societa Sportiva Napoli or S.S.C. Napoli was founded in 1926 but the club saw little success early in its history. Napoli won just one Coppa Italia until 1965 and it wasn’t until the 80s with the legendary Diego Maradona when they won several trophies. But after Maradona left, the squad struggled, was relegated and suffered financial problems.
Film producer Aurelio De Laurentis refounded Napoli in 2004 and stabilized the club and put it back on the football map. Under Carlo Ancelotti last season, Napoli finished second in the Serie A final table. The runners-up enter this game as the soccer betting favorite over Verona.
Napoli is tied for 2nd in the Serie A with their +2 Goal Difference. They currently lead the league in scoring with a total of nine goals scored this season and they are also tops in the Italian top flight with a total of eight assists this term. However, Napoli only ranks 18th in Goals Conceded with already eight in three matches played.
Forward Diego Mertens is in goal-scoring form with three goals in three appearances. Midfielder Lorenzo Insigne has two goals and a pair of assists, the latter a team-best mark. Giovanni Di Lorenzo has also added one goal and one assist for Napoli.
Verona
Hellas Verona or Verona was founded in 1903. They debuted in the Serie B in 1929 and it took them 28 years to finally make it to the Serie A. This club has won the Serie A once in their history, doing so during the 1984/85 season. They also finished as runners-up in the Coppa d Italia three times.
Hellas Verona also won the Serie B title thrice and were playoff winners in 2018/19. Verona finished 5th in the Serie B table last season and their 3-0 win over Cittadella in the second leg of their playoff match gave them the win via an aggregate score of 3-2.
Verona is tied for 8th in the Serie A with a Goal Difference of +1. They have scored a total of six goals this term, good for 15th overall. Verona has conceded a total of five goals this season, which ranks them 3rd overall. They are also ranked 17th in assists with a total of two on the season.
Midfielder Miguel Veloso leads the team with two goals and one assist in seven matches played. Davide Faraone and Matteo Pessina each have one goal for Verona. Mattia Zaccagni also has one assist for Verona while goalkeeper Marco Silverstri has conceded five goals and has a total fo 16 saves in seven appearances.
Who Wins?
Hellas Verona is 2-3-2 SU after eight rounds played this season. After losing 1-2 to Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus, Verona is unbeaten in their last three games with draws against Udinese and Cagliari and a 2-0 win over Sampdoria. They have surrendered just one goal in their last three matches played.
Napoli is ranked 4th in the Serie A table with a record of 4-1-2 SU after seven rounds this season. They have lost just once in their last six matches with four wins during that period. They have conceded just three goals in their last five matches played.
Head to head, Napoli has lost just twice in their last 10 meetings, going 8-0-2 SU during that period. Napoli has won the last three meetings by an aggregate score of 8-1. Napoli is 2-0-1 SU at home this season while Verona is 1-1-1 SU in their three matches played away from home.
Napoli has played well in their last six matches, losing just once during that period. Verona has also played well in their last three matches, going unbeaten with two draws during that span. Both these teams have defended well as of late but Napoli has dominated this match up, historically. Napoli is the best offensive team in the Serie A, leading the league in goals scored and assists. I don’t think Verona can prevent them from scoring the goals in this match. Prediction: Napoli