Carlo Ancelotti’s Napoli host Serie A rivals Torino on Sunday evening in a meeting of two teams in Serie A’s top eight. The Partenopei are five matches unbeaten in Serie A.
They drew nil-nil with Fiorentina in their last match. Torino sit eighth in Serie A and four points off of the final European place. Walter Mazzarri’s Torino are three matches unbeaten. They have won two of their last three games including last weekend’s victory over Udinese. Meanwhile, Napoli are in second place and nine points ahead of third place Inter Milan.
The big storyline going into the fixture is Napoli’s €20 million sale of longtime attacking midfielder Marek Hamsik to China’s Dalian Yifang. The club will begin life without Hamsik which may be easier said than done.
Napoli have recorded the best home points total in the league. The side has 32 home points from a possible 36. They have allowed just seven goals while tallying 28 at the San Paolo. Napoli’s last five league matches at home have ended in victory and Ancelotti’s team is undefeated in its last 17 Serie A home matches overall.
Torino FC have failed to beat Napoli in their last seven games. All seven of those fixtures saw over 2.5 goals scored. Torino’s last win over Napoli came in 2015 with a 1-0 scoreline. Torino have defeated Napoli just four times in their last 19 encounters.
Mazarri’s team has been poor on the road in their last six matches. Torino haven’t won in their last six away games, drawing five and losing once. Il Toro are +3 in goal difference on the road. Despite Torino’s positive play away from home, they have won just twice on the road this term.
Ancelotti may be without Raul Albiol and Mario Rui for the game. The two defenders are sidelined with injuries and sat out Thursday night’s Europa League match against FC Zurich.
The last six games between Napoli and Torino have seen the Partenopei outscore their rivals 20-8. Torino players have received 16 yellow cards in those six meeting while receiving one red card.
Sunday night’s match will see an exciting affair at the San Paulo. Napoli will gain another victory over Torino with goals flying into the net. The game will end with over 2.5 goals as Napoli win at home once more. Napoli shouldn’t be affected by their midweek Europa League match against Zurich. Ancelotti’s team has enough depth to come back from the Thursday night match and to defeat Torino.