Table-topping Napoli will aim to strengthen their grip on the Serie A title race when they face Campania rivals Salernitana at Stadio Arechi on Saturday.
With 18 games in the books, Napoli find themselves nine points clear of second-place AC Milan in the table – having suffered a solitary defeat all season.
At the opposite end of the standings, Salernitana sit sixteenth – nine points outside the relegation zone and a whopping 29 points behind Napoli.
Salernitana have only managed to win four of their 18 Serie A games this season, registering six draws and eight losses along the way.
It is also worth noting that Salernitana hold the worst defensive record in the league, having conceded 35 goals this term (1.9 goals against per game).
Salernitana head into Saturday’s clash on the back of an 8-2 defeat to Napoli, conceding five goals in the first half and three after the break.
Having failed to win any of their previous six Serie A outings – recording two draws and four losses – Salernitana look destined to struggled against high-flying Napoli.
As for Napoli, they have won a whopping 15 of their 18 league matches this season – registering two draws and one defeat in the process.
Luciano Spalletti’s side head into Saturday’s clash on a run of 13 victories in 14 Serie A outings, with their last league game resulting in a 5-1 thrashing of Juventus.
Having netted 44 goals this season, Napoli are the league’s top scorers. They also boast the second-best defensive record, having conceded just 14 goals.
The Naples outfit suffered a rare defeat to Cremonese in the Coppa Italia on Tuesday, so they will be eager to bounce straight back against Salernitana.
Head-to-head: When these two sides last met back in January 2022, Napoli thrashed Salernitana 4-1 – claiming their fourth straight victory in this fixture.
Napoli have avoided defeat in each of their last seven meetings with Salernitana, picking up five wins and two draws between 2003 and 2022.
Team news: Salernitana could be without five players on Saturday, with Luigi Sepe, Dylan Bronn, Federico Fazio, Pasquale Mazzocchi and Giulio Maggiore all injury doubts.
Napoli have an injury-free squad at the moment, although Khvicha Kvaratskhelia could miss Saturday’s clash due to illness.
With Napoli on course to clinch the scudetto and Salernitana hovering just above the relegation zone, all the signs point towards an easy away victory here.
Forebet predicts that Napoli will score over 1.5 goals and keep a clean sheet on their way to dispatching Salernitana.