Napoli are looking to extend their lead at the top of Serie A as they travel to Sassuolo for a Friday night fixture. Sassuolo have claimed some big scalps in recent weeks but should be no match for the league leaders, who are expected to come out on top.
Sassuolo are attempting to ease themselves away from relegation trouble. They have claimed two wins and as many draws in their last four matches and are now six points clear of the drop zone.
The good thing about Sassuolo’s recent good form is that they have claimed some big scalps and will take confidence from wins over AC Milan and Atalanta. They played out a 2-2 draw with Udinese in their previous Serie A fixture, twice coming from behind to earn a share of the spoils.
While Sassuolo will be pleased with the 1-0 victory over Atalanta, it was a result that ended a four match winless run at home. Alessio Dionisi’s men had been beaten three times in that run, including defeats to highflyers Inter Milan and Lazio.
A Napoli title win continues to look increasingly likely as the Serie A leaders are now 15 points clear at the top following Inter Milan’s draw at Sampdoria. Having only lost once in the league this season, they appear oblivious to the failings of teams around them and remain focused on maintaining their own good form.
Napoli travel to MAPEI Stadium off the back of wins in their last six Seirie A matches. Driven by the goals of striker Victor Osimhen, much of the results in that run have been one-sided as evidenced by the 3-0 victories over Spezia and Cremonense in their last two matches.
Home or away appears to be all the same to Napoli, who have been just as dominant on their travels this season. Luciano Spalletti’s men have won eight of their last nine Serie A matches on the road, keeping clean sheets in the last three fixtures in that run.
How the bookies view it
Napoli have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 10/17 by SBK to claim the win. A victory for Sassuolo is valued at 5/1 by bet365 while a draw is set at odds of 3/1 by Paddy Power.
Head to head
Napoli have an 11-2 advantage with seven draws from 20 previous matches with Sassuolo. The Neapolitans are unbeaten in the last four meetings and claimed a 4-0 victory in the reverse fixture in October with Osimhen scoring a hat-trick.
Players to watch
Victor Osimhen took his tally to 17 Serie A goals this season and will once again be the one to watch for Napoli. Having netted a hat-trick in the reverse fixture, the Nigerian striker could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime at 6/5 with Unibet.
A solid defence has been just as pivotal to Napoli’s impressive campaign and they have kept clean sheets in their last three away matches. Kim Min-Jae and Amir Rrahmani should continue their partnership at centre-back and can lead the visitors to another clean sheet at 6/4 with Coral.
Anything else catch the eye?
Napoli have scored 10 goals in the last two meetings with Sassuolo, conceding just one and with another one-sided victory expected, a -1 handicap could be considered at 6/4 with BetVictor. Given their solid defence, they could also be set for a fourth straight win to nil on the road at 19/10 with BetVictor.
Napoli have scored in both halves in their last two meetings with Sassuolo and Friday’s clash can be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 13/10 with Coral.
This Serie A match between Sassuolo and Napoli will be played on Feb 17, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Sassuolo vs Napoli prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
