Verona to keep things tight in Naples

Napoli face an old foe when Hellas Verona head south on Saturday evening. Will the Gialloblu put another nail in the Partenopei’s title challenge or can Carlo Ancelotti’s men get back on track? Have a read of our preview here:

So near yet so far for Napoli

There is a strong sense that Maurizio Sarri was the man to win Napoli a Scudetto and if he failed then all is lost. Napoli have possibly seen their best chance slip away after a poor finish in 2017-18 cost them the title.

After beating Juventus with just four games remaining, it looked as though Napoli were finally going to bring home their first title since 1990 but instead a disastrous performance in Florence saw it all fall apart with the Viola thrashing Sarri’s side 3-0. A draw in the next game sealed their fate and they have since had to watch Juventus get stronger while they have more or less stagnated.

The summer arrival of Kostas Manolas was huge but a lack of concentration cost them in defeats against both Juventus and Cagliari which has left them trailing behind Juve, Inter and Atalanta in the early stages.

It is likely that Napoli will finish in the top three this season given their quality but the real ambition of bringing home a Scudetto may have to wait a few more years at least.

Resilient Hellas

Hellas are a far cry from their glory years in the mid-1980s but there is a feeling that they can consolidate as a Serie A team for the first time in a number of years. The model followed by SPAL and Sassuolo are being chased by the likes of Hellas and Lecce who have returned to the top-flight this season.

Verona have started well enough, showing a great deal of resilience in their opening seven matches. Although they have only won twice they have also only been defeated on two occasions and both of those were against sides with much bigger budgets and expectations.

Juventus came through a 2-1 win in Turin while AC Milan left the Bentegodi with a 1-0 victory but Verona have not lost against any other side and defeated Sampdoria 2-0 in the last game at home to move them safely into mid-table.

They will make life hard for Napoli and try and keep things tight at the back while looking to steal a goal on the break.

Napoli v Hellas Verona betting tip

With goals a lot harder to come by in Naples than had previously been anticipated and with Hellas proving to be a resilient side this season, backing this one to finish with under 2.5 goals at odds of 33/20 is excellent value and could give a pretty decent return.

Bet Under 2.5 goals on Unibet