As the Serie A season unfolds, Napoli are set to host Hellas Verona at the iconic Stadio Diego Armando Maradona this Sunday evening. Currently riding a wave of momentum with four consecutive victories, Napoli will be aiming to solidify their position at the top of the league and continue their pursuit of the Scudetto.
Napoli enter this match with renewed confidence after a dominant performance against Fiorentina, where they secured a 3-0 victory. David Neres opened the scoring with a spectacular goal, followed by a penalty from Romelu Lukaku and a strike from Scott McTominay, ensuring a strong start to 2025. This victory allowed Napoli to leapfrog Atalanta in the standings, taking advantage of their rivals’ absence due to the Supercoppa Italiana.
With 44 points amassed in the first half of the season, Napoli are well-positioned in their quest for the title, contending closely with Atalanta and Inter Milan. Under the guidance of Antonio Conte, they have demonstrated impressive defensive capabilities, recording 11 clean sheets so far—an achievement not seen since 1986.
Historically, Napoli have been dominant against Verona at home, remaining unbeaten in their last 19 encounters in Serie A with 14 victories. However, they will be cautious as they remember their surprising defeat to Verona on the opening matchday of this season, where they lost 3-0 at Stadio Bentegodi.
Napoli’s tactical setup under Conte emphasizes solid defensive organization combined with quick transitions into attack. With their current form and home advantage, they will look to dominate possession and create multiple scoring opportunities against a Verona side that has struggled defensively throughout the season.
Verona will need to adopt a disciplined approach to withstand Napoli’s attacking threat while looking for chances on the counterattack. Their recent results have shown improvement; however, they bring the league’s worst defensive record into this match, which could prove costly against a potent Napoli offense.
In recent history, Napoli have consistently outperformed Hellas Verona. Their last three meetings have resulted in victories for Napoli, including a decisive win earlier this season that shocked many fans. Given their current form and historical dominance at home, expectations are high for another strong performance from Napoli.
Team News
Napoli face some injury concerns ahead of this fixture. Wingers Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Matteo Politano are both being monitored as they approach returns from injury. Despite these uncertainties, Conte may opt to field an unchanged starting XI that has been performing well recently. David Neres and Leonardo Spinazzola are expected to support Lukaku in attack, while Mathias Olivera is likely to recover from a calf issue and retain his position at left-back.
On the defensive front, Alessandro Buongiorno remains sidelined due to injury, which means Juan Jesus will continue to fill in at center-back.
For Hellas Verona, coach Paolo Zanetti will have to navigate this match without two key players due to suspensions. Suat Serdar was sent off in their last match against Udinese, while Jackson Tchatchoua has accumulated five yellow cards. Additionally, Martin Frese, Juan Cruz, and Abdou Harroui are unavailable due to injuries.
Verona’s attack will be led by Casper Tengstedt, who has been impressive this season with six goals so far. He will partner with Amin Sarr as they look to exploit any defensive lapses from Napoli.
Expected Starting XIs
Napoli: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka; Neres, McTominay, Spinazzola; Lukaku
Verona: Montipo; Dawidowicz, Coppola, Ghilardi; Lazovic, Duda, Belahyane, Bradaric; Suslov; Sarr, Tengstedt
Match Prediction
Considering Napoli’s formidable record at home and their current winning streak, they are favored to secure all three points against Hellas Verona. While Verona has shown flashes of resilience lately, their defensive frailties could be exposed by a high-flying Napoli side eager to maintain their title challenge.
Prediction: Napoli 2 – 0 Hellas Verona
