Can Venezia pick up points? Prediction for the match against Napoli on October 17
Saturday, October 17, will treat Italian football fans to an intriguing Serie A matchday-seven clash, with Venezia hosting ambitious Napoli at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium. The hosts are desperate to finally get their first points of the season, while the visitors are locked in a fierce battle to return to the upper reaches of the table and the European places.
Venezia have made a disastrous start to the current Serie A campaign and, after six matches, deservedly sit bottom of the table in 20th place without a single point to their name. The team from Saint Mark's remains the only side in the league yet to experience even a draw, exposing serious defensive vulnerabilities and a deep crisis in attack. In the upcoming home fixture, the coaching staff's players must give everything they have in an attempt to pull off a shock in front of their home supporters and bring their miserable losing streak to an end.
Napoli are going through a rather inconsistent spell, sitting eighth in the standings with 10 points after six matches. The Neapolitans possess tremendous attacking potential, star quality in midfield and plenty of class, but have yet to find the consistency they need away from home. Ahead of this encounter, the ambitious visitors are determined to make amends for their previous setbacks, seize the initiative from the opening minutes and confidently prove their superiority over the league's bottom side.
The tactical script of the upcoming match will be dictated entirely by Napoli's overwhelming dominance. From the opening whistle, they will take control of possession, raise the tempo and begin methodically stretching the opponent's defensive lines with positional attacks and overlapping runs down the flanks. Venezia will respond with an extremely compact, deep low block, building a wall of defenders around their penalty area and relying exclusively on rare counterattacks launched with long passes. However, the immense pressure from the Neapolitans, huge gaps between the hosts' lines and relentless pressing will inevitably lead to fatal defensive lapses from the underdogs.
Prediction
Despite Napoli's lackluster performances of late, I believe they must take all three points against a clear-cut underdog. My prediction: Napoli to win at 1.68
