Napoli vs Cremonese Match Analysis & Prediction
12/02/2023 10:45 pm
Distant leaders Napoli meet bottom-placed Cremonese in Serie A’s Sunday night fixture, with the hosts aiming to take another step towards the Scudetto with victory at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Despite Napoli having won again last week to top the table by 13 points, they were unexpectedly beaten by Cremonese in the Coppa Italia last month. However, the visitors are yet to win a single league match since promotion.
Napoli’s campaign towards the title continued apace last week at Spezia, as they responded to a goalless first half by taking the lead straight after half time, when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was gifted a chance to score from the spot before Victor Osimhen later bagged a brace.
After getting the better of Roma last time out at Stadio Maradona, Napoli have won each of their last eight home matches in Serie A, and would record nine in a row for the first time since 2016 by beating Cremonese again on Sunday.
Having defeated the Grigiorossi 4-1 in October’s reverse fixture, Luciano Spalletti’s side have never lost in 14 home encounters with Cremonese, though a draw in their most recent meeting last month eventually saw the visitors progress on penalties.
Now through to the Coppa Italia semi-finals, Cremonese matched a much-changed Napoli for 120 minutes when they met in the last 16 before completing a shock victory through spot kicks, but they have scored just once in Naples across seven Serie A matches.
Cremonese again went in search of their first league win of the season against Lecce last week, but despite conquering both Napoli and Roma in the cup, they failed to even score against fellow promoted side at Stadio Giovanni Zini in a 2-0 defeat.
Davide Ballardini’s side may have a first Coppa Italia semi-final since the 1980s to look forward to in April, but a 10-point gap has opened up between them and Serie A safety and shows no sign of closing.
Five draws and five losses have come from Cremonese’s first 10 away matches since returning to the top flight, and the league’s second-worst defence statistically are now charged with the tough task of keeping a rampant Napoli attack at bay.
Napoli vs. Cremonese Head to head
In the 11 previous meetings between these two teams across all competitions, Napoli have claimed four victories while Cremonese have won three, and they have drawn in four. Cremonese have scored 14 goals and conceded 16 in the process.
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24/01/1999Cremonese1Napoli1Serie B
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13/06/1999Napoli2Cremonese1Serie B
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24/07/2019Napoli3Cremonese3Club Friendlies
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09/10/2022Cremonese1Napoli4Serie A
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17/01/2023Napoli2Cremonese2(P)Coppa Italia
Napoli Team News
Having a full squad at his disposal, Spalletti is set to name a familiar XI on Sunday, with Victor Osimhen leading the line up front.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been involved in 17 Serie A goals since signing for the club last summer, and he joins Osimhen and either Hirving Lozano or Matteo Politano in the front three.
Napoli's Last 5 Matches
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13/01/2023Napoli5Juventus1Serie A
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17/01/2023Napoli2Cremonese2(P)Coppa Italia
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21/01/2023Salernitana0Napoli2Serie A
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29/01/2023Napoli2Roma1Serie A
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05/02/2023Spezia0Napoli3Serie A
Cremonese Team News
Cremonese’s Nigerian strikers David Okereke and Cyriel Dessers may be unavailable for selection – the former’s fitness is a particular concern for Davide Ballardini.
Felix Afena-Gyan will hope to play in Okereke’s absence, but Daniel Ciofani is expected to start instead, while Cristian Buonaiuto and Luka Lochosvhili remain doubts due to injury.
Cremonese's Last 5 Matches
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17/01/2023Napoli2Cremonese2(P)Coppa Italia
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23/01/2023Bologna1Cremonese1Serie A
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28/01/2023Cremonese1Inter Milan2Serie A
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01/02/2023Roma1Cremonese2Coppa Italia
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04/02/2023Cremonese0Lecce2Serie A
Napoli vs. Cremonese: Odds and Predictions
Main Prediction
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