Fiorentina – Napoli

Napoli will be close to beating Fiorentina.

A change on the coaching bench has had a positive impact on Fiorentina. Under Paolo Vanoli's leadership, Fiorentina have secured two wins from two matches. Last Friday the Lilies faced Venezia in the fourth round of the league. The defeats in the first three rounds hardly pleased the club's management, which made the most radical decision regarding Fabio Grosso. Fiorentina started poorly, as usual. Already in the 22nd minute the team trailed, but Mastantuono's brace put Fiorentina ahead. Notably, the youngster completed the brace within a couple of minutes. Vanoli's charges did not stop after the break. Pellegriño's goal and Mastantuono's third sealed Fiorentina's comfortable lead. The Arancioneroverdi scored again, but evidently that wasn't enough. On Tuesday Fiorentina hosted Pisa in the Coppa Italia Round of 16. Paolo Vanoli made a few rotations, but the main stars from the previous game were on the field. It was Pellegriño who put the Lilies ahead toward the end of the first half. Matteo's goal was not the only one, and the hosts finished the match with a 3-0 victory. Napoli halted a three-match run of defeats with a win over Bologna. The Partenopei could have started the match poorly. Already in the seventh minute the rossoblu went ahead, but their goal was disallowed after VAR intervention. That moment was almost the only real chance at Milinkovic-Savic's goal. The Azzurri fully took the initiative and steadily threatened the opponent's goal. In the 66th minute, Lobotka converted Allegri's charges' advantage into a goal. After that the score remained unchanged, although the Partenopei could have added another before the end of the match. A highly important victory, given Allegri's side's previous meetings. Fiorentina is a very convenient opponent for Napoli. In the last five head-to-head meetings, the Azzurri have won four times, and the teams drew once. Napoli's infirmary is gradually thinning, which can only please Allegri. If the Bologna match relieved the team of psychological pressure, the upcoming match should cement this effect. Fiorentina started well after Vanoli's return, but is unlikely to sustain such tempo going forward. Napoli have a decent chance of winning the upcoming match.