Napoli will start the second half of their league season with 44 points, thanks to their impressive 3-0 victory in Florence last week. This achievement is noteworthy as they have only surpassed this figure three times before in the three points for a win era, with the most recent occurrence happening before their third Scudetto in 2022/23. After securing a fourth consecutive win to kick off the new year, the Azzurri currently sit at the top of the table.
In their last two matches, Napoli emerged victorious without conceding any goals. Additionally, no other team in the traditional top five European leagues has managed to achieve more clean sheets in Serie A than Napoli, who have kept 11 clean sheets so far. When it comes to facing Hellas Verona at home, Antonio Conte’s team has an outstanding record, having not lost to them in any of their last 19 league matches (winning 14 and drawing 5).
But Paolo Zanetti’s team might fancy their chances in this encounter as they embark on the lengthy journey south, aiming for their third consecutive victory on the road after two successive 3-2 wins against Parma and Bologna. Few could have predicted this run of form for the Yellow and Blues, considering they had lost all of their previous six away matches, albeit by a one-goal margin in four of them.
Verona now seeks to achieve their first-ever double over Napoli in the top flight following their 3-0 triumph at home in the first round. Despite only winning three out of 14 games since then, they enter round 20 with a narrow two-point lead over the relegation zone, despite collecting seven points from their last four fixtures.
Players to keep an eye on: Romelu Lukaku joined Napoli after their defeat on the opening day, and his team will be hoping for a better outcome this time, especially considering he found the net in his last match against Verona and remains unbeaten in their five previous head-to-head encounters (four wins, one draw). Daniel Mosquera came off the bench to score twice in the August meeting between the two teams, and both of his other goals this season have come as a substitute, including one in the 3-2 victory over Parma.
Interesting fact: In four out of Napoli’s last five home games, there was a solitary goal scored (W3, L2).
