Napoli kick off their Serie A title defence away to Sassuolo at Mapei Stadium. Both teams won their respective divisions last season and will be keen to begin the new campaign on a positive note.
Sassuolo won Serie B last season to secure an immediate return to the top flight. They were in action in the Coppa Italia first round last Friday, edging US Catanzaro 1-0 courtesy of a first-half goal from Josh Doig.
Fabio Grosso’s men have been solid lately and are unbeaten in eight of their last 10 matches in all competitions. However, they lost their last two home matches at the end of last season.
Napoli, meanwhile, were head and shoulders above the rest last term as they eased to their second title in three years. They strengthened this summer with the likes of Sam Beukema and Lorenzo Lucca but have lost Romelu Lukaku to injury.
Partenopei were solid in preseason and have won their last three matches. Antonio Conte’s men head into the season opener off the back of a 2-1 victory over Olympiakos in their final friendly match.
How the bookies view it: Napoli overwhelming favourites
The bookies have installed Napoli as overwhelming favourites and are priced at 1/2 by BoyleSports to win. Sassuolo are considered outsiders, with a home win valued at 5/1 while a draw is set at odds of 14/5.
Head to head: Neapolitan dominance
Napoli have a 14-2 advantage with seven draws from 23 previous matches against Sassuolo. Partenopei did the double during the 2023-24 season, with the clash at Mapei Stadium ending in a 6-1 victory.
Players to watch: Lucca to shine
Lorenzo Lucca was the standout man for Napoli in pre-season, scoring four times in seven outings to follow up from his 14 Serie A goals last season. Scott McTominay also carries a goal threat from midfield and both men can help produce over 1.5 goals for the visitors (Napoli Over 1.5 goals – priced at 8/13 with BoyleSports).
Armand Lauriente netted 19 goals in Serie B last season and will be the one to watch for Sassuolo. With Domenico Berardi pulling the strings behind him, the Neroverdi could get on the scoresheet on Saturday (Sassuolo Over 0.5 goals – available at 4/6).
Probable line-ups:
Sassuolo are likely to stick with Stefano Turati in goal, with Filippo Romagna and Tarik Muharemovic providing cover in defence. Daniel Boloca and Andre Ghion should anchor the midfield, while Lauriente, Berardi and Alieu Fadera are expected to form the attacking trio.
For Napoli, Vanja Milinkovic-Savic should start in goal, with Captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Alessandro Buongiorno set to marshal the defence. De Bruyne could line up in midfield, with McTominay playing just behind Lucca, who is expected to lead the line in the absence of Lukaku.
Sassuolo: Turati, Doig, Muharemovic, Romagna, Walukiewicz, Ghion, Boloca, Kone, Lauriente, Fadera, Berardi
Napoli: Milinkovic-Savic, Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Olivera, Anguissa, Lobotka, De Bruyne, McTominay, Lucca, Politano
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams have scored in four of Napoli's last five matches (BTTS YES – priced at 10/11). All four fixtures on this run have produced over 2.5 goals – set at odds of 5/6.
Napoli have led at the break in their last three matches (Napoli halftime win – offered at 11/10 by BoyleSports).
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