Napoli continue their pursuit of the Milan Clubs as they welcome Fiorentina to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Sunday. La Viola have shown some quality this season but should fall short at the home of the champions, who often impress in front of their fans.
It has not been the smoothest start to the title defence for Napoli, who are currently four points behind the Milan clubs. Rudi Garcia’s men have claimed just four wins from seven matches so far but crucially have only been beaten once.
Napoli were rampant last time out in Serie A as they ran out 4-0 winners at Lecce, with Victor Osimhen on target. However, they failed to build on that result, suffering a 3-2 home defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League in midweek.
Although Napoli's only Serie A defeat has come at home, the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona remains a fortress. They have won two of their last three matches in front of their fans, including a 4-1 victory over Udinese in their previous fixture in Naples.
Fiorentina have reasons to be pleased with their campaign so far as they are challenging around the top end of the table. They are currently level on points with the Neapolitans having lost just once in seven Serie A matches so far.
La Viola were also rampant in their previous Serie A fixture as they picked up a 3-0 victory over Cagliari with Nico Gonzalez among the goals. However, they were held 2-2 at home by Hungarian side Ferencvaros in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.
A slight problem for Fiorentina is that they have not been particularly convincing on their travels having claimed just one win from their last five away matches across all competitions. Vincenzo Italiano’s men have been beaten 4-0 at Inter Milan this season and were held 1-1 by Frosinone in their previous away fixture despite taking the lead.
How the bookies view it
Napoli have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 8/13 by 10bet. A victory for Fiorentina is valued at 9/2 by William Hill while a draw is set at odds of 3/1 by Paddy Power.
Head to head
Napoli have a 21-15 advantage with 14 draws from 49 previous matches against Fiorentina. The Neapolitans picked up a 1-0 victory in the last meeting back in May with Victor Osimhen getting the only goal.
Players to watch
Victor Osimhen remains Napoli’s most dangerous attacker and has found the net five times in seven Serie A matches so far. The Nigerian striker has also been on target in two of the last three meetings with Fiorentina and is priced at 19/20 by William Hill to maintain his scoring run.
Fiorentina have some attacking quality of their own, particularly with Nico Gonzalez, who has four Serie A goals this season. The forward could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime at 7/2 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Napoli have seen over 3.5 goals in their last three matches across all competitions and a repeat is priced at 7/4 by Paddy Power. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 4/6 with William Hill while 888Sport is offering odds of 8/11 on both teams to score.
The hosts are priced at minimal odds for a straight victory, so a win and both teams to score offers more value at 21/10 with BoyleSports.
This Serie A match between Napoli and Fiorentina will be played on Oct 8, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Napoli vs Fiorentina prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
