Verona vs. Napoli: Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

Antonio Conte will make his Serie A debut as a substitute for Napoli on Sunday afternoon. The Partinopei will face Verona at Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi in the 2024–25 season opener.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

As they embark on the new season, the Partinopei are back in the hunt for a top-four finish and a spot in next year's UEFA Champions League.

As the previous season ended, Verona finished 13th, three points above Frosinone and the relegation zone.

Additionally, they replaced Marco Baroni as head coach with Paolo Zanetti this summer.

At the start of the Coppa Italia season, Verona lost 1-2 at home to Cesena, a team from lesser divisions, and they will be riding high off of that performance.

After regulation time ended in a scoreless draw, Napoli advanced to the next round after defeating Modena on penalties.

Bentegodi has much room for growth after Verona was just three points out of the bottom three in the previous term. They managed to maintain their place as a top-flight club for six straight seasons despite all the problems. They will be looking to get off to a winning start against Napoli to put the past in the past.

But for Verona, it has often seemed like an impossible feat. They have beaten Napoli once in their last fifteen minutes (D3, L11). A 5-2 loss in the 2022–23 season opener at this stadium is part of that terrible streak. It is the hosts' sincere wish that lightning won't strike again.

The 2023–24 Serie A season got off to a promising start with Verona's 1-0 victory against Empoli. If Zanetti's squad wants to repeat that performance, they must get back on track at home. They were winless in their last two league games at Bentegodi the previous season (D1, L1).

There were more doubts than solutions for Napoli supporters last season. Becoming one of the poorest defending Scudetto holders in history, the club settled for their third-worst top-tier result since the turn of the century. They were 41 points behind league leaders Inter when the season ended.

So, De Laurentiis's choice of Conte is not unexpected. Only a coach with exceptional experience and stature in Naples can save the situation. Conte is a good match. He will be tasked with improving Napoli's dismal record, which has seen them win just twice in their past twelve league matches away from home (D5, L5).

Fortunately, Napoli won all three league matches played in Verona this season, scoring ten goals. Another encouraging sign has appeared. They have won all their opening Serie A games since a 2016–17 season-opening tie against Pescara.

A draw seems implausible in this case. Since 1988, Verona has gone 14 games without a draw in Serie A home matches vs Napoli.

Verona x Napoli Team News

Due to a long-term injury, Verona has been without their excellent attacker, Juan Manuel Cruz, for the whole of the previous season. Several prominent newcomers, including Abdou Harroui, Casper Tengstedt, Grigoris Castanos, and Daniel Mosquera, are available for the first weekend of play.

Only Victor Osimhen is missing from Napoli. After seeking to leave the club after last season, he is waiting for a decision about his future. Alessandro Buongiorno and Leonardo Spinazzola, who arrived in the summer, are available to Conte.

Our Predictions

Napoli to win @ 1.80 on SKY247.ng

Under Conte, Napoli's offence struggled throughout the preseason. Their primary star, Victor Osimnhen, is still sidelined until his big summer transfer, which will likely be to PSG.

Without him, Napoli's finishing third is a disaster. Their goal-scoring woes in the previous three games are telling.

The solidity of Napoli's backline is good news for Conte. Three of the team's four summer games ended in shutouts.

In last weekend's Coppa Italia home defeat to Cesena, Verona failed to impress offensively, managing only three attempts on goal during the match.

With four wins and one draw in their past five meetings, we're taking Napoli's 1.80 odds to win it all against Verona.

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