Forebet’s football predictions continue to serve up key stats and trends by diving into the mathematics behind the beautiful game.
On Friday, we turn our attention to an intriguing Serie A clash between upwardly-mobile Napoli and off-form Torino at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Can the hosts extend their unbeaten streak to five matches? Or will the visitors end their three-game winless run? Read on to find out what Forebet’s AI algorithm predicts.
Just flexing 🤙💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/yr7Rf7vu6W— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) March 6, 2024
Just flexing 🤙💙 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/yr7Rf7vu6W
Napoli secured two impressive victories last week, thrashing Sassuolo 6-1 on Wednesday before defeating Juventus 2-1 on Sunday.
Those wins followed back-to-back 1-1 draws with Genoa and Cagliari, lifting the reigning champions to seventh in the Serie A table – eight points shy of the top four.
Not only have Napoli avoided defeat in each of their last four league games, but they have also avoided defeat in seven of their previous eight, picking up four wins and three draws in that time.
Better still, the defending champions are currently enjoying a six-game unbeaten run on home soil, having claimed three wins and three draws since their last loss.
However, Napoli remains 7th in Serie A, which is not good for a team that won the league last season. Are Napoli the worst title defenders of the century?
As for Torino, they played out a goalless stalemate with Fiorentina last weekend, leaving them 10th in the standings – six points behind Napoli.
The Turin outfit have now failed to win any of their last three matches, with successive defeats against Lazio and Roma preceding Saturday’s draw.
When you look at the bigger picture, Torino have managed to win just one of their previous six Serie A encounters, recording three draws and two losses in the process.
Worse still, Torino have picked up a solitary victory in their last eight away league outings, taking seven points from a possible 24 during that period.
Head-to-head: Torino won the reverse fixture 3-0 back in January, with Napoli’s Pasquale Mazzocchi receiving a red card in the 50th minute of the match.
It is worth remembering, however, that Torino have won just one of their last 17 Serie A meetings with Napoli, losing five of the previous six.
Team news: The hosts look set to be without the injured midfield duo of Cyril Ngonge (muscle) and Jens Cajuste (muscle) for the foreseeable future.
The visitors have several injury absentees of their own, with Matteo Lovato, Perr Schuurs, Adrien Tameze and Mergim Vojvoda all expected to miss Friday’s clash.
Given that Napoli and Torino’s previous three meetings have produced 11 goals (3.7 goals per game), we should see another high-scoring affair this time around.
Forebet predicts that Napoli and Torino will combine for over 3.5 goals on Friday, with the teams likely to share the points.