Napoli have started the 2024/25 Serie A season with a point to prove, after their defense of the Scudetto last season left a lot to be desired. The high-flying Italians have excited fans at every turn since an opening day drubbing by Hellas Verona.
They take on a struggling Monza, who by contrast, after solidifying their top flight status last season with a 12th placed finish, find themselves in the relegation zone with no wins from their five matches so far.
With this game set to heavily affect both ends of the table, both sides will have no hesitation in taking the game to one another. With that being said, here is everything you should know about the status of both sides before the game.
Napoli Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1): Elia Caprile (GK); Mathias Olivera, Alessandro Buongiorno, Amir Rrahmani, Giovanni Di Lorenzo; Frank Anguissa, Stanislav Lobotka; Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Scott McTominay, David Neres; Romelu Lukaku.
The Naples based side have had a brilliant run of form since the opening day of the season. They beat Bologna 3-0 to turn their form around, and then pulled off an astonishing comeback against Parma, a game in which they trailed in the 92nd minute.
However, thanks to Romelu Lukaka and Frank Anguissa, they were able to pull off a remarkable stoppage time win, and carried that form over into a 4-0 win away to Cagliari. A 0-0 draw to an inconsistent but dangerous Juve would have provided an added boost, and took them to 10 points from 5 games, leaving them sitting in second.
In their most recent game, Napoli dismantled Palermo in the Coppa Italia, dispatching with them thanks to a 5-0 scoreline, a game in which summer signing and former Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay scored his first goal for the club.
With a fully fit squad except the absence of starting goalkeeper Alex Meret thanks to an injury picked up against Juventus, expect Napoli to lineup strong once again here.
Monza Predicted Lineup (3-4-2-1): Stefano Turati (GK); Andrea Carboni, Pablo Mari, Armando Izzo; Georgios Kyriakopoulos, Warren Bondo, Matteo Pessina, Pedro Pereira; Dany Mota, Daniel Maldini; Milan Duric.
There is no doubt that Monza have struggled in the early stages of this season. However, their run of fixtures has been much trickier than they would have liked, having been pitched against Fiorentina, Bologna and Inter Milan in their first five games.
While Monza managed to pick a point from their games against the latter two, and very nearly beat Inter before an 88th minute equalizer, they are yet to convert a level scenario into one where they can take away three points.
Having finished 11th and 12th in the last two seasons, Monza have become an established Serie A side, and they have a very talented squad with the likes of Daniel Maldini and former Premier League center back Pablo Mari.
I think they are too good to struggle for much longer, but their form is not likely to turn around against such a red hot opposition.
Last five meetings:
Historical Head to Head: Napoli: 2. Drawn: 3. Monza: 1.
With Napoli in such imperious form, and with Monza currently struggling in front of goal, the game is set to only have one outcome.
Napoli will dominate the game with their higher quality of personnel, and keep Monza to half chances on the break. With Napoli rock solid in defense and Monza toothless in attack, I would be surprised to see Monza respond after Napoli inevitably score first.
Napoli 3-0 Monza
It will be another routine victory for Napoli here, and should Torino drop points at home to Lazio, they will move to the top of the division they won so historically two years ago.
On current form, winning the match is almost a certainty, but if they maintain the quality they have shown early on, a second Scudetto in three years is certainly not out of the question.
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