Napoli are on a terrible run of form in Serie A. Last season’s champions have had a poor campaign and will finish outside the top five.
Now winless in five straight matches, will our algorithm predict a win for the Partenopei this weekend?
Fiorentina will welcome Napoli to the Stadio Artemio Franchi on Friday night in a match between two of the most famous Italian teams.
While the season went pear shaped for Napoli, Fiorentina can bring home a European trophy.
La Viola qualified for the Conference League final for a second straight season. They will face Greece’s Olympiacos for the trophy. However, before the cup final, Fiorentina will host Napoli, with three big points on the line.
Fiorentina took 10 points from the last six games in Serie A, scoring 11 goals and conceding six times. They downed Monza 2-1 last time out.
The Stadio Artemio Franchi has been a fortress, with Fiorentina posting a record of 10W-4D-4L and a goal difference of +15. Fiorentina’s last two home fixtures ended in wins of 5-1 and 2-1.
Napoli, on the other hand, only took six points from the last six matches. They were outscored 10-6 by opposing teams. Bologna were the most recent team to defeat Napoli, scoring a 2-0 victory.
Despite their poor record this season, 27 of Napoli’s 51 points were earned on the road. The Partenopei outscored opponents away from home by a count of 29-19.
Friday’s match will be the third between Fiorentina and Napoli this season. La Viola won the teams’ previous Serie A encounter by a score of 3-1 in Naples.
Josip Brekalo opened the scoring for Fiorentina but Victor Osimhen equalised from the penalty spot.
Giacomo Bonaventura put Fiorentina back ahead in the 63rd minute, and Nico Gonzalez finished off the game in second-half stoppage time.
The teams met a second time in the Coppa Italia. Napoli won on this occasion 3-0. Giovanni Simeone opened the scoring in the 22nd minute and Alessio Zerbin added two goals in the final six minutes.
Despite falling well off last season’s performance, Napoli lead Serie A in shots per game with an average of 16.9.
Meanwhile, they have the best average possession per game, with 58.6%. Osimhen has scored 15 of the team’s 53 goals.
So, will these stats lead to a Napoli win in Florence? Our algorithm forecasts a score prediction of 1-1, as Fiorentina stay hot and prevent Napoli from winning once more.