Paolo Sammarco has a big task at hand ahead of a huge home game for Hellas Verona against reigning champions Napoli. Sitting at the rock bottom of the standings, the hosts are now deemed favourites to drop down to Serie B at the end of the term.
Having suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to Sassuolo last time out, Verona have now stretched their winless run to 11 games, with their most recent victory coming at the end of 2025. With nine points separating Verona from safety, another defeat could further bring them closer to their fate as they face reigning Serie A champions Napoli.
Meanwhile, Napoli’s season risks spiralling out of control, and it is up to Antonio Conte and his players to steer the ship in the right direction. Having allowed the teams above them to open up a sizeable gap — most notably leaders Inter Milan, who now have a 14-point advantage — Napoli have also exited both the UEFA Champions League and the Coppa Italia.
The Supercoppa Italiana seems like the only piece of silverware they might win, as Napoli are now fighting to stay relevant in the top-four race. That too looks a bit dodgy following a controversial defeat to Atalanta last time out.
Napoli rarely ever loses a game after taking the lead, but it was one of those rare occasions when some controversial officiating allowed Atalanta to overcome the odds and take all three points. In the context of the top-four battle, Roma are currently level on points with Napoli, while the likes of Juventus, Como, and Atalanta are not far behind — adding to the pressure on Conte.
Discipline has been a major issue for Verona of late, having received a third red card in their last four matches last week. This time, it was Al-Musrati, who now joins top scorer Gift Orban on the sidelines through suspension.
The latter will serve the second of his three-match ban, meaning the manager might choose one of Amin Sarr or Daniel Mosquera to play alongside Kieron Bowie in the frontline.
On the positive side, Jean-Daniel Akpa-Akpro is back from suspension and available for selection. Manager Sammarco still has several players missing through injuries, with the likes of Suat Serdar, Antoine Bernede, Sandi Lovric, and Pol Lirola all sidelined.
Furthermore, Roberto Gagliardini, Nicolas Valentini, and Tomas Suslov are raising considerable doubts, with all eyes on which team Sammarco selects before the game, depending on their availability.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Montipo; Bella-Kotchap, Nelsson, Edmundsson; Bradaric, Harroui, Akpa-Akpro, Niasse, Frese; Bowie, Sarr
Much like their hosts, Napoli have plenty of key stars missing from action — mostly through injuries — and this has been the number one reason for their downfall this term. Conte continues to be without the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, David Neres, Amir Rrahmani, and skipper Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
Frank Anguissa recently returned to training, which could lead to a place on the Napoli bench against Verona.
The big miss, however, is Scott McTominay, who continues to struggle with a thigh problem that keeps him doubtful ahead of the weekend.
Hence, it is another weekend where Conte will have to use his limited squad options to select the best possible lineup for this clash away at Verona. Matteo Politano could be selected in the frontline to support striker Rasmus Højlund, who will be eager to improve his already good record against Verona.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Buongiorno, Jesus; Gutierrez, Lobotka, Elmas, Spinazzola; Politano, Vergara; Højlund
Two goals in his last ten Serie A outings do not make for good reading, and Conte will want his striker to step up. In fact, both goals came in a single game against Genoa, which further adds to the pressure on Hojlund to deliver at the top level.Conte wants to see the character of the Dane during a time of adversity — something he has lacked so far.
However, for Napoli to avoid spiralling further into crisis and losing their grip on the top-four race, they will need Højlund to step up in a big way and help his team win games with his goalscoring prowess.
Verona are currently bottom of the standings and on an 11-game winless run heading into the weekend. All signs point towards the basement team stretching that run even further as they face reigning Serie A champions Napoli.
Napoli might have wished for this fixture much earlier, but they will embrace the opportunity to arrest a slump and re-focus on their new objective of securing a top-four finish. While the champions are susceptible to conceding goals, they have the attacking ammunition to score plenty and get the job done in this game.
