One other Saturday recreation pits two groups at reverse ends of the desk towards one another. The coed towards the grasp. The recent turd towards the newly-shined shoe. You get the concept. The reverse fixture led to a complete 1-3 defeat for the great guys again in September. Issues have definitely modified since then however the central reality of 1 facet being a complete hell of rather a lot higher than the opposite stays, monolithic within the desert, mocking these of us crawling by means of the sand with dry throats.
The match will probably be performed Saturday, 31 January 2026, at 17:00 GMT/12:00 PM EST on the Stadio Diego Maradona (which is able to at all times be the San Potato to me) in Naples. It’s going to be cloudier and chillier than Campania normally is, with the potential for mild rain and a few pretty robust gusts of wind, significantly within the second half.
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Three issues to look at for1. Some janky lineups
Fiorentina put up a suitable battle towards Como within the Coppa Italia on Tuesday and has had 4 days to get well however nonetheless faces some severe questions. The primary one is at striker, the place Roberto Piccoli picked up a knock towards the Lariani. Moise Kean’s most likely not totally match after fighting an ankle difficulty so which means Paolo Vanoli’s choices to guide the road are the hopelessly wispy Albert Guðmundsson, newly-signed attacking midfielder Giovanni Fabbian, and Primavera star Riccardo Braschi. The primary will most likely get manhandled, the second isn’t a striker, and the third’s by no means performed at senior degree. It’s a headache.
Antonio Conte’s received complications of his personal, and it’s not simply the hair plugs. He’s received a exceptional variety of absences to deal with, however the principle one’s within the center. Scott McTominay and Stanislav Lobotka are the one wholesome midfielders and have been taking part in 90 minutes a recreation twice every week for the previous month; they appear understandably exhausted and the staff has suffered badly consequently. McTominay and Lobotka are each unbelievably good gamers however Fiorentina has an opportunity to put on them down by means of attrition right here. Turning this right into a observe meet and forcing them to rise up and down will go well with the guests, which might imply Cher Ndour begins strictly to dash forwards and backwards for at the least 45 minutes.
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2. Mo-mo-mo-momentum
Even wounded, Napoli’s clearly an excellent staff. Given all of the accidents, I’m astounded that the Partenopei are tied for third and nonetheless inside putting distance of the scudetto, particularly with Conte’s current document in his second season at a membership. Nevertheless, the narrative across the mister’s Champions League failures has elevated in quantity following a 2-3 loss at Chelsea that sees Napoli crash out of Europe. Mixed with a depressing run of type—1 win within the final 7—and Aurelio di Laurentiis’ outspokenness, it seems like this entire factor might explode at any second.
After all, Fiorentina’s an much more depressing membership proper now. A month of respectable outcomes has unraveled with back-to-back losses and now the whispers have begun once more. Giuseppe Commisso’s sudden flip from wallpaper to protagonist would possibly present a bit of enhance nevertheless it’s awfully arduous to seek out any positives within the Viola camp proper now. Everybody’s out of types, taking part in worse than they must, and the specter of a centennial in Serie B shambles nearer each week. Mainly, these are maybe the 2 most fragile sides in Serie A proper now. Napoli’s received a large expertise benefit, clearly, however in emotional phrases, this may very well be throwing two handfuls of jello at one another and seeing which one shatters.
3. Bodily disparities
This can be a primary statement however generally these are those that matter probably the most. Napoli’s received a bunch of very giant gamers: Lobotka’s the one man who’s brief for his place and he’s constructed like a fireplace hydrant. That provides the Partenopei a large benefit at crosses and on excessive balls, the place their measurement permits them to shine. Conte’s system doesn’t depend on successful duels however bodily dominance makes the whole lot work higher, significantly when the midfielders drift broad to create overloads on the wing that result in crossing alternatives.
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Fiorentina, then again, is about as dangerous at defending excessive balls as any staff I’ve ever seen. Their set piece woes are widespread information and so they’re not significantly better from open play. A few of it’s personnel—Robin Gosens is the one man who’s higher than common for his place—however a whole lot of it’s the kind of slack marking and lack of focus that would depart a Sunday league defender shaking their head in disgust. Simply as Fiorentina most likely needs to hurry this recreation up, Napoli needs to gradual it down. That’ll give the midfielders an opportunity to relaxation, positive, nevertheless it’ll additionally present a continuing objective menace.
Attainable lineups
Napoli (3-4-2-1): Meret; Juan Jesus, Buongiorno, Di Lorenzo; Spinazzola, McTominay, Lobotka, Gutierrez; Elmas, Giovane, Højlund ||| Fiorentina (4-5-1): de Gea; Dodô, Comuzzo, Pongračić, Gosens; Guðmundsson, Ndour, Fagioli, Mandragora, Solomon; Fabbian
Ted’s Memorial Blind Guess Division
In case you’re dumb sufficient to place your cash on Fiorentina and so they’re dumb sufficient to win, you’re going to show fairly a revenue. Hopefully you’re not that dumb, although, as a result of the bookies lean Napoli very strongly and any arguments on the contrary are a lot sound and fury. The Viola are the final word get-right resolution, a tonic for any staff that should arrest a slide, and I don’t for a second doubt that Conte’s knowledgeable his gamers of that reality. Exhaustion and vibes apart, this one’s received the potential to be a bloodbath.
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Because of the curse, although, I’m compelled to select a 1-2 win for the guests. As a result of we’ve one way or the other wandered out of actuality and into the Feywild, I’ll say that Fiorentina’s targets come from a Robin Gosens header and a speculative Rolando Mandragora effort that deflects off a feral cat that’s wandered onto the pitch (on this bit, the cat’s unhurt however a bit of rattled), whereas Giovane scrambles one over for the hosts after a set piece. Napoli could have about 85% possession and about 10 occasions the pictures however one way or the other gained’t break by means of. Then I’ll get up once more and have to truly watch this recreation.
Forza Viola!