Napoli vs Hellas Verona: Can the Partenopei secure a top four spot?
Napoli will look to book a Champions League spot when they host Hellas Verona on matchday 38 this Sunday.
For the Partenopei, who sit in fourth spot, their destiny is firmly in their own hands. As things stand, Gennaro Gattuso’s team come into this game having won three on the trot, and have been in free-scoring form lately. They’ve netted nearly 20 goals in just their last 6 games, so averaging over three per match and will be taking on another middling side who have nothing but pride to play for. In short, this is a golden opportunity to make sure they join Inter, and possibly Milan in next season’s Champions League.
Napoli have already beaten Udinese, Spezia, and most recently Fiorentina, so will be full of confidence in dispatching Hellas Verona here. After all, the Gialloblu haven’t been able to beat the Partenopei in Naples since 1996. That includes when both teams were featuring in Serie B. Depending on how things pan out, Napoli could even end up finishing in second spot, especially if they thrash Verona and Atalanta end up losing to Milan.
The hosts have won their last 11 home meetings with Verona and 17 of their last 21 Serie A meetings against their upcoming visitors. Although there have been a lot of major questions about Gattuso’s future, with Massimiliano Allegri linked with his job, time will tell whether the former Rossoneri midfielder ends up being replaced by, ironically perhaps, his former coach. Napoli were beaten this season by Juventus in the Supercoppa Italiana which saw Gattuso pitted against his former Milan colleague Andrea Pirlo and thus denied an opportunity to win some silverware; although the Supercoppa is viewed by some as a mere vanity trophy, it’s still a trophy nonetheless and would have meant something to Napoli and their players after losing club icon Diego Maradona last year.
Surprisingly, some reports in Italy note that Lorenzo Insigne has also been linked with a potential move away, which fans naturally hope will not come to pass. Insigne, who was born and bred in Naples, has been a mainstay with the club since making Serie A debut in 2010 and this season has been again a key protagonist for the Azzurri, with 19 goals and seven assists leading the way.
As for Verona, coach Ivan Juric may or may not still be with the club once this season ends. The Croatian tactician has endured a very frustrating spell that has seen the Gialloblu suffer an embarrassing defeat to Crotone and win just one of their last 12. Kevin Lasagna, who shone last season for Udinese and was brought in on loan, has looked a mere shadow of himself as has scored one measly goal, while Juric’s fellow Croatian Nikola Kalinic’s downward slide continues as he failed to fire at yet another club, with just one goal to his name as well.
In fact, Verona are only propped up by teams like Parma, Benevento, and Crotone, plus others like Torino and Cagliari. The first half of the season saw them pick up 30 points, which was a solid return, but since then, they’ve only earned 14. Talk about merely scraping by. If the others below them hadn’t done so poorly, Verona would be further down in the table, so their tenth place standing is all smoke and mirrors. They did manage to shock Napoli to win 3-1 in the reverse fixture, but that must feel like a lifetime ago, and it’s hard to see them replicating that same kind of showing in this upcoming tie. As noted, Verona have won just one of their last 12 league games, and also have lost their last three on the road. And given that they’re already safe for next season, it’s hard to see them really putting up much of a fight here, meaning that Napoli should have no problems getting the three points they need to secure a top-four spot for themselves for next season.
