Antonio Conte’s Napoli begin their Serie A title defence with a trip to newly-promoted Sassuolo, with both sides hoping for a positive start.

Fabio Grosso, the 2006 World Cup winner and former Lyon manager, now at Sassuolo, has the challenging task of achieving a big objective in Serie A this season, starting with the game against reigning champions Napoli. Sassuolo have returned to Serie A for the first time of asking following their most recent relegation, and they already face last term’s title winners on Matchday 1.

The main objective for Grosso is to ensure survival, considering how Sassuolo fell through the trapdoor in their most recent season in the top flight. They did have a favourable home form last season in Serie B, losing only thrice and winning 14 times, but the very first game against Napoli will be a big test of their character and form on home turf.

Napoli begin their title defence in a manner their fans will consider favourable, against a newly promoted team like Sassuolo. Antonio Conte led the team to a Serie A title win in dramatic fashion on the final day of last season as goals from Serie A MVP Scott McTominay and striker Romelu Lukaku proved enough against Cagliari.

In the months following that triumphant night, a lot has happened at the club, including an unexpected contract extension from Antonio Conte and the arrival of Kevin De Bruyne. Napoli have used the transfer window to their advantage and considerably strengthened their squad to face up to another challenge in Italy as well as the Champions League.

As they travel to Sassuolo, Napoli have a favourable record against Grosso’s men, having thrashed them 6-1 in their most recent meeting. Conte will certainly demand a top-level win in the first game of the season and continue the momentum gained from the five wins and two draws in their final seven Serie A games last season, which eventually ended in Napoli winning the title.

Team News & Tactics

Sassuolo

Barring some selection headaches, Fabio Grosso does not have any injury concerns, as he can have a strong squad to face off against Napoli on the opening weekend in Serie A. The manager must make decisions starting with the goalkeeping position, as he has new arrivals Stefano Turati and Arijanet Muric vying for the No.1 spot.

It could be the former who starts this one for Sassuolo against Napoli, but there is an air of intense competition for the spot moving forward. Grosso might also assess a few of his key stars, with many of them featuring in the recent Coppa Italia win over Catanzaro.

Those include several loanees such as Sebastian Walukiewicz, Alieu Fadera, and Ismael Kone. The trio are expected to start in their respective positions for the opening weekend clash, and Grosso will want to go strong into the opening clash.

The Sassuolo manager will persist with a back four against Napoli and have a more attacking intent for now and most of the campaign. Experienced attacker and captain Domenico Berardi will feature on the right wing with Fadera and last season’s top scorer, Armand Lauriente.

Probable lineup (4-3-3): Turati; Walukiewicz, Muharemovic, Romagna, Doig; Kone, Boloca, Ghion; Berardi, Fadera, Lauriente

Napoli

Following a successful window where Antonio Conte got many quality additions to his title-winning squad, the priority shifted to adding quality, particularly to the depth. However, heading into the first game of the Serie A season, Conte is widely expected to name a familiar lineup, albeit with system changes to accommodate the quality of the big arrival, Kevin De Bruyne.

The biggest tweak could come in Scott McTominay’s position, with the Scotsman now expected to feature as a wide midfielder off the left with De Brune taking the no.10 role in the team. Another new arrival, Sam Beukema, is also expected to feature at the back alongside Amir Rrahmani in central defence.

Beyond that, Antonio Conte will switch to a 4-2-3-1 shape, with new striker signing Lorenzo Lucca expected to deputise for the injured Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian striker is set to miss a long spell with a serious muscular injury, and Napoli are in the market for a new striker before the window shuts, with Rasmus Hojlund a target.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Beukema, Olivera; Lobotka, Anguissa; Politano, De Bruyne, McTominay; Lucca

Key Stats

• Napoli have won their last five matches against Sassuolo in all competitions.
• Napoli have scored at least two goals in their last seven matches against Sassuolo in all competitions.
• Napoli are unbeaten in 20 of their 22 games against Sassuolo.
• Sassuolo won 14, lost three and drew two out of the 19 home games last season at home in the league.

Player to Watch

Kevin De Bruyne

Embed from Getty Images

With the star signing for Napoli this summer, all eyes will be fixated on the Belgian superstar ahead of the opening game of the season. Antonio Conte will know how to fit the former Manchester City star into his plans, who has signalled his intentions to keep playing at the highest levels of European football.

The arrival of De Bruyne does bring about some changes to Napoli’s shape, but he has all the attributes and experience to help Conte ease through it. The veteran playmaker will be key in the opening game, given how new signings have the knack to put on a show, but in the context of the season, De Bruyne will be very important for Napoli.

Prediction

Sassuolo 1-3 Napoli

Sassuolo will want to make themselves big on home soil and put on a good enough performance to give themselves a positive start to life back in the top flight. They do have some experienced players, who have ample know-how of Serie A, that might see them score a goal or so against the formidable Napoli.

Antonio Conte changing his shape might result in the team allowing Sassuolo to score past them, but in the attack, he will have some difference-makers. Kevin De Bruyne and Scott McTominay will have the space to create the difference, and Napoli are expected to win their opening game with a comfortable margin.