Napoli visit Venezia to temporarily take top spot

Venezia and Napoli face off at the Penzo in the lunchtime game: the home side have drawn their last three consecutive games against Lazio, Atalanta and Como. They have not won since 22 December, when they beat Cagliari, and will need a win to move up the table and off the foot of the table.

Napoli, on the other hand, cannot afford any slip-ups. Their win against Fiorentina last week interrupted a winless streak of five games and they will aim for another three points to temporarily overtake Inter in the league standings.

HEAD TO HEAD

Napoli have kept clean sheet in all their last six meetings against Venezia in Serie A – winning all the most recent four: only against Avellino (eight) and Mantova (seven) the Partenopei have a longest opened streak of clean sheet in a row in the competition. Two wins for both and three draws in the seven meetings between Venezia and Napoli played at Lagunari’s home in Serie A – with the Partenopei wins for 2-0 in the most recent one, on 6th February 2022.

DID YOU KNOW?

Venezia have only lost two of their last seven home League matches (W1 D4), against Inter and Roma – without scoring in their two most recent ones; furthermore, the Lagunari could record at least three goalless games played at Penzo in Serie A for the first time since the period between May 2000 and November 2001 (five ones in that case). Napoli have conceded goal in their all last eight League games (11 ones) – after they had conceded just 12 overall nets in the first 20 matches in Serie A this season (with precisely 12 clean sheets in the period). Napoli have lost the last match against a newly promoted team in Serie A (1-2 vs Como, on last 23rd February), the Partenopei could suffer two defeats in a row with these sides for the first time since the period between February and April 2015 (vs Palermo and Empoli with Rafael Benítez as manager). Napoli have lost four of their last six games played at 12:30 p.m. in Serie A (W1 D1) – including the two most recent ones (vs Atalanta and Como); the Partenopei never lost three matches in a row in this game time in the top-flight. From one hand, Venezia are the team who scored the most percentage goals on set play in Serie A this season (61%, 14/23); to the other, Napoli are that ones who conceded in % the fewer such ones in the current tournament (13%, 3/23).

PLAYERS

Since his first match with Venezia (from last 19 January), Alessio Zerbin is the Lagunari’s player who created the most chances (11), recorded the most touches in opposite box (23) and open play crosses (17). 19 of his 40 overall appearances in Serie A were with Napoli jersey. Napoli have always won when Romelu Lukaku scored in the current League: 10 goals in 10 games and 10 victories – only Harry Kane (12 on 12) has found the net in more different games always recording a win in this season in the Big-5 European Leagues (10 on 10 also Bradley Barcola). The Belgian forward has also been involved in eight goals in his last nine meetings against newly promoted sides in Serie A (six nets and two assists).

DISCIPLINE

Suspended: Yeboah (Venezia). Cautioned: Nicolussi Caviglia (Venezia); Conte, Anguissa, Di Lorenzo (Napoli)

REFEREE

MARIANI (PRETI – PERROTTI) IV: COSSO, VAR: DI PAOLO, AVAR: DIONISI

UPCOMING MATCHES IN SERIE A

Venezia-Bologna (Saturday 29 March, 15.00 CET) Napoli-Milan (Sunday 30 March, 20.45 CET) (Photo Getty Images)