Genoa vs SSC Napoli is one of the games on the match card for week 17 of the 2024/25 Italian Serie A season which begins on 20th December 2024 with Hellas Verona vs AC Milan.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atalanta | 15 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 38 | 17 | 21 | 34 |
| 2 | Napoli | 15 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 21 | 10 | 11 | 32 |
| 3 | Inter | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 34 | 15 | 19 | 31 |
| 4 | Fiorentina | 14 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 28 | 10 | 18 | 31 |
| 5 | Lazio | 15 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 30 | 17 | 13 | 31 |
| 10 | Empoli | 15 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 14 | 15 | -1 | 19 |
| 11 | Roma | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 18 | 21 | -3 | 16 |
| 12 | Torino | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 16 | 20 | -4 | 16 |
| 13 | Parma | 15 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 21 | 25 | -4 | 15 |
| 14 | Genoa | 15 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 13 | 24 | -11 | 15 |
| 15 | Cagliari | 15 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 15 | 25 | -10 | 14 |
| 16 | Lecce | 15 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 26 | -18 | 13 |
| 17 | Como | 15 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 16 | 28 | -12 | 12 |
| 18 | Verona | 15 | 4 | 0 | 11 | 18 | 37 | -19 | 12 |
| 19 | Monza | 15 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 19 | -6 | 10 |
| 20 | Venezia | 15 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 27 | -14 | 9 |
Genoa vs SSC Napoli Head to Head
This match is one of Napoli’s most difficult ones in recent times. Il Grifone do not have a good win record against the Partenopei, but both teams have played out more draws than other teams have against each other in a span of ten games. Both teams have drawn four times in this stretch of Serie A games dating back to 2018, while Napoli have won six times.
This speaks more to Napoli’s ability to keep Genoa out than their ability to match the three-time Scudetto winners and secure a result against them. Last season was a key example of this, as the two fixtures in this tie ended in draws (3-3 aggregate score line).
The last one, played at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, Naples, ended 1-1 and Napoli had to come back to secure a point from that game. 2022/23 Serie A player of the season Khvicha Kvaratskhelia started brightly, giving the Partenopei hope for a good game. In just two-and-a-half minutes after the start of the match, he went on a mazy run and took aim, but his shot was straight at Genoa goalkeeper Josep Martínez.
This inspired Genoa because minutes later, Napoli goalkeeper Alex Meret had to be at full stretch to deny Mateo Retegui, who had met Aarón Martín’s deep cross with his head following a brilliant attacking play from Rossoblù.
The game became a back and forth which excited both fans after that Meret save. Napoli were more in control and had the better chances, though, including two that saw both Hamed Traorè and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa go close to the opener for the Partenopei. Genoa were not passengers in the game, however, as their strikers ensured that Napoli’s defence were kept busy all through the eventually goalless first half.
It was Genoa who would break the deadlock with their first chance of the second half. Just two minutes after the break, Morten Frendrup picked up a poor Napoli clearance and fired home a first-time shot to silence the home crowd. Kvaratskhelia took it upon himself to respond for Napoli but despite his best efforts, Genoa held steady.
Just when time appeared to be running out for Napoli, managed by Walter Mazzarri at the time, they grabbed an equaliser right at the death thanks to a Cyril Ngonge goal.
At the final whistle, Napoli fans heaved the same sigh of relief they did when the final whistle of the first leg in Genoa.
Napoli took the game to Genoa from the first minute in that fixture. They had to produce a number of blocks and had to be on high alert as Victor Osimhen bit down on goal at every chance he got. They were the ones to break the deadlock in that game as well, doing it before halftime this time around. Lax defending by Napoli for Matti Bani’s free header at the back post was questioned but in the end, it saw Il Grifone go into the break with the lead.
Napoli did not respond well in the second half and Genoa made them pay in the 55th minute. A cross into the box was only half cleared by Alex Meret, allowing Kevin Strootman to play the ball into Mateo Retegui relatively unchallenged. The 24-year-old showed plenty of composure to bury a first-time shot on the turn into the corner as Genoa fans began to dream of a first win over Napoli in over five years.
However, Napoli’s substitutes had another plan for the game. Giacomo Raspadori scored the equaliser with 15 minutes to go which woke the Partenopei up, leading to a stunning second from Matteo Politano, who volleyed in a clever Piotr Zieliński chipped pass.
Both sides will remember these clashes very well and will work to get the upper hand this time around. While both managers work on tactics, here is information for you on matchday tickets, as well as team news and XI predictions, together with our final scoreline prediction.
Match tickets
The Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris, also known as the Marassi from the name of the neighbourhood where it is located, will host this clash. The match is scheduled for Saturday 21 December 2024 at 6 PM, UK time. Genoa vs SSC Napoli tickets are available on sale via the websites of Genoa and Napoli, as well as their other official channels and partner platforms.
The Serie A will also carry some of the matchday tickets for sale, which means that fans can try their luck at the ticket ballots that the league administrators will run.
Fans coming from outside of Genoa or Italy can check out Genoa tickets or SSC Napoli tickets on ticket resale platforms where they can buy seats from fans who want to part ways with their tickets for gain or for other reasons (this includes Napoli fans who were unable to get tickets from their club’s channels).
Early indication is important as tickets to the game are expected to sell out.
Team news
Genoa’s players are still getting to know their new manager Patrick Vieira after saying goodbye to Serie A legend Alberto Gilardino, who could not do much for the team this season before the club’s administration let go of him after the international break.
The Frenchman, who has been without a job since leaving BlueCo-owned French Ligue 1 club Strasbourg in July, has only managed two matches, which is not enough for him to decide on his best team.
The only player that the former Arsenal captain will be unable to evaluate ahead of the clash with the league leaders, is Ruslan Malinovsky, who will be available for training from February when he is expected to receive the medical green light after he broke his fibula earlier in the season. We expect Vieira’s lineup to be similar to Gilardino’s for the match.
Napoli are also in the clear for the game, except for Pasquale Mazzocchi, who tore a calf muscle in the week following the international break. Antonio Conte could bring along a more attacking-minded squad because of how close Atalanta BC are to them at the top of the table, but the former Inter Milan and Juventus manager’s antecedents suggest that he will stick to his guns.
Line-ups
Vieira’s tactics and potential line-ups are still being studied which means he will not make immediate tweaks to Genoa’s current system. Conte, on the other hand, is finding success with 4-3-3 of recent and is expected to keep it that way for the clash with Genoa.
Here are our predictions for the starting XIs of both teams.
Genoa: Gollini; Vasquez, Bani, De Winter; Caricol, Miretti, Bohinen, Thorsby, Zanoli; Pinamonti, Oliveira.
SSC Napoli: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Olivera; Anguissa, Gilmour, McTominay; Ngonge, Lukaku, Neres.
Prediction
As stated earlier, Genoa vs Napoli has been closer than many think, despite Napoli being ahead in the head-to-head between both teams. The form guides of both teams also suggest that Napoli will travel to the Luigi Ferraris stadium and cause problems for Italy’s oldest football club.
We expect this game to be a test of either team’s defensive ability more than their attacking ability because Napoli are not exactly the brightest in front of goal despite having the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Kvicha Kvaratskhelia. The winner, if any, will not blow the loser out of the water because it will be a game of chances.
Genoa 1 – 2 SSC Napoli.
