Como’s surprising push for a maiden top-four finish in Serie A continues on Saturday with a mouth-watering clash against Napoli. Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia sets the stage for only the fourth top-flight meeting between the sides in the 21st century.
Goals from Anastasios Douvikas and Assane Diao fired Como to a precious 2-0 win at Genoa last time out, ending their dreadful run of four consecutive winless games in all competitions (D1, L3). Furthermore, last weekend’s triumph at the Luigi Ferraris restored a feel-good factor in the dressing room after a heart-wrenching Coppa Italia semi-final exit at the hands of Inter.
Seeking a place in the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history, Como must go back-to-back for the first time since mid-March. With only four games left to play, Cesc Fabregas’ men trail fourth-placed Juventus by four points. Meanwhile, a comfortable seven-point cushion down to seventh-placed Atalanta puts them on the brink of securing European qualification.
Napoli bounced back from two straight league outings without winning (D1, L1) with a dominant 4-0 home victory over relegation-threatened Cremonese last weekend. However, it may have been too little too late to salvage their Scudetto dream, with the reigning champions trailing runaway leaders Inter by a whopping ten points.
A victory here would only postpone the inevitable, as the Nerazzurri can mathematically seal their 21st top-flight title with a home win against Parma tomorrow night. Nevertheless, the visitors will be keen to take three points, which would all but guarantee a second top-four finish in a row.
Match Preview
Como
Napoli’s visit marks Como’s toughest fixture down the final stretch, at least on paper, with their last three league matches coming against sides currently stranded in the bottom half of the table. Therefore, Fabregas remains confident of making history this term, even though the Lariani need Juventus to drop points in the season finale.
Still, Como must hold up their end of the bargain here, and after beating Napoli in their last two home league meetings, they should take the field in high spirits. In fact, they have avoided defeat in three of their four competitive clashes against the Partenopei since returning to the top flight two years ago (W2, D1).
Against this backdrop, Como have immensely struggled against the division’s best teams this term, going winless in all five league matches against current top-three sides (D2, L3). On a more promising note, Fabregas’ charges had won three consecutive home games in Serie A before dropping a two-goal lead in a frustrating 4-3 loss to Inter last time out.
Napoli
There’s not much Napoli can do to spoil Inter’s impending title party, but they can at least make them sweat until tomorrow night. Sitting eight points clear of fifth-placed Como, they’re on the verge of qualifying for next season’s Champions League in what could be Antonio Conte’s final campaign in charge of the club.
However, that gap could grow thin if Napoli fail to avenge a disappointing Coppa Italia elimination in February. That’s perhaps easier said than done, given that six of Napoli’s seven league defeats on the road have come on the road. Furthermore, Conte’s men have notoriously struggled in high-profile fixtures.
Just three of Napoli’s nine away league victories have come against teams starting this round in the top 13 (D2, L6). The visitors can draw confidence from their traditionally outstanding first-half performances, with only Inter (19) leading at halftime more often than Napoli this season (HT: W17, D9, L8).
Team News
Apart from long-term absentee Jayden Addai, Como boss Fabregas can call upon the remainder of his squad for this ‘make or break’ showdown. Indeed, Mergim Vojvoda and Sergi Roberto have both resumed full training, although neither is expected to make the starting lineup. All eyes will be on Nico Paz and Douvikas, who have both scored 12 Serie A goals apiece this term.
On the other hand, Napoli will take this trip without Romelu Lukaku, David Neres, and Antonio Vergara. However, with Scott McTominay firing on all cylinders, Conte is unlikely to tinker with a winning side, as the former Manchester United midfielder prepares to play a supporting role to lone striker Rasmus Hojlund.
Como vs Napoli Potential Starting Lineups
Como (4-2-3-1): Butez; Smolcic, Ramon, Kempf, Valle; Perrone, Da Cunha; Diao, Paz, Baturina; Douvikas.
Napoli (3-4-2-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Olivera, Rrahmani, Buongiorno; Politano, Lobotka, McTominay, Gutierrez; De Bruyne, Alisson; Hojlund.
Como vs Napoli Prediction
Como’s decent head-to-head record, coupled with Napoli’s traveling woes, should give the hosts genuine belief ahead of this encounter, especially considering their recent scoring exploits at the Sinigaglia Stadium. Despite the visitors’ strength, we expect Fabregas’ side to find a way to edge a tightly contested affair.
Prediction: Como to Win
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