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Serie A: Napoli vs Palermo preview

Kick off: Wednesday, 28.10.2015 @20:45

Venue: Stadio San Paolo

Head to head record

Palermo vs Napoli 3-1 (2014/15 Serie A)
Napoli vs Palermo 3-3 (2014/15 Serie A)
Napoli vs Palermo 3-0 (2013/14 Serie A)
Palermo vs Napoli 0-3 (2013/14 Serie A)
Napoli vs Palermo 2-0 (2012/13 Serie A)

Napoli vs Palermo prediction

High-flying Napoli are hoping to prolong their impressive eleven-game unbeaten run when they welcome Palermo who managed to recover from a four-game losing streak with a win over Bologna and important draw against Inter.

Unstoppable Napoli

The Partenopei are unbeaten in their last eight league games and they seem unstoppable at the moment. Only two points short from the top and just two behind the leaders Roma, Napoli have managed to secure some pretty important wins this season, having beaten the likes of Milan in the middle of San Siro and title-holders Juventus, as well as Fiorentina and Lazio. In the games against their direct league rivals, Napoli have sent a clear message and will fight tooth and nail until the end in their attempts to grab hold of the Scudetto. Maurizzio Sarri will have been delighted with the form of his entire team, most notably of Lorenzo Insigne and Gonzalo Higuain. The striking duo bagged 13 goals between them in only 9 games this season. Fantastic goalscoring exploits are credited to the new manager who introduced the perfect tactics in order to allow his players realize their full potential. Apart from their fantastic records upfront, Napoli have significantly improved their defending. Allowing only eight goals so far in the season Partenopei defenders Raul Albiol and Kalidou Koulibaly have been particularly outstanding.

Napoli manager will most likely rotate his players in order to keep them fit for three games in eight days. Sarri will be happy to see Dries Mertens and Jose Callejon back in contention, but could rest Lorenzo Insigne out of precaution as the Italian forward has picked up a knock in the last game.

Things looking up for Palermo?

The Rosanero are having a tough season in the Italian Serie A. With only one win in their last seven matches and a four-game losing run, Palermo are currently occupying the 13 position in the standings with only 11 points after 9 rounds, just five clear of the relegation zone. Things are starting to look up for Giuseppe Iachini’s men who managed to recover from their losing streak with an away win (1-0) over Bologna and an encouraging 1-1 draw against title contending Inter last time out so they are coming to Stadio San Paolo in much better atmosphere than only a month ago. Without the last season’s key player Paulo Dybala who was transferred to Juventus this summer, Palermo have not been playing at the expected level. The Swedish Under-21 international Oscar Hiljemark took over from Dybala and he is the standout performer this season for Palermo. The 23-year-old midfielder who joined from PSV this summer featured in all of nine league fixtures, scoring three goals in the process.

Palermo manager will have three unavailable players for the trip to Napoli, as Francesco Bolzoni, Michel Morganella and Uros Djurdjevic are all injured. Iachini is not expected to make any significant changes as he deployed the same team for much of the season so far, but some players will need to be rested.

Napoli vs Palermo betting tip

Despite the improvements in their last two showings, I simply do not see Palermo making an impact against the raging Napoli. The Partenopei have been fantastic lately and I see them coming on top in the midweek home game.

Tip: Napoli/Napoli

Odds: 1.93 (13/14) @888sport

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