Saturday’s other game pits two teams at opposite ends of the table against each other. Student versus master. Fresh feces lined the freshly polished shoes. You get it. This comeback game in September ended in a 3-1 defeat to the Good Guys. Things have certainly changed since then, but the core fact that one side is far better than the other remains, monolithic in the desert, laughing at those of us crawling in the sand with dry throats.
The game will be played on Saturday, January 31, 2026exist 17:00 GMT/12:00 EST PM Diego Maradona Stadium in Naples (always a holy potato to me). The weather will be cloudier and colder than usual in Campania, with possible light rain and some fairly strong wind gusts, especially in the second half of the year.
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Three things to note
1. Some crude lineups
Fiorentina had an acceptable performance against Como in Tuesday’s Coppa Italia tie and although they have had four days to recover, they still face some serious issues. The main one was the forward, Roberto Piccoli’s knock on Lariani. Moise Kean may not be fully fit yet after battling an ankle problem, meaning Paul Vanori’s options to lead the way are the lanky Albert Gudmundsson, newly signed attacking midfielder Giovanni Fabian and reserves star Riccardo Braschi. The first one might be treated roughly, the second one is not a striker and the third one has never played in the senior league. Very headache.
Antonio Conte has his own share of headaches, and it’s not just hair plugs. He has plenty of absences to deal with, but the biggest ones are in midfield. Scott McTominay and Stanislav Lobotka are the only fit midfielders, averaging 90 minutes twice a week over the past month; they look understandably tired and the team has suffered badly as a result. McTominay and Lobotka are both incredibly good players, but Fiorentina have the opportunity to weaken them through attrition. Turning this into an athletics event and forcing them to get up and move around would suit the visitors, which could mean Cher Ndour starts strictly sprinting back and forth for at least 45 minutes.
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2. Momo Momentum
Even with the injuries, Napoli is clearly a very good team. Considering all the injuries, I’m surprised the Partenopei are tied for third and still so close to the league title, especially given Conte’s latest record in his second season at the club. However, reports of the man’s failure in the Champions League have grown following Napoli’s 3-2 defeat to Chelsea, which saw Napoli eliminated from Europe. Add to that poor form – just one win in his last seven games – and Aurelio Di Laurentiis’ outspokenness, and it feels like the whole thing could explode at any moment.
Of course, Fiorentina is a more miserable club now. A good month of results has been unraveled by back-to-back losses, and now the rumors are starting again. Giuseppe Commisso’s sudden transition from wallpaper to protagonist might provide a bit of a boost, but it’s hard to find any positives in the Viola camp right now. Everyone is in a bad mood, playing worse than they should, and the specter of Serie B’s centenary looms every week. Basically, these are probably the two most vulnerable teams in Serie A right now. Obviously, Napoli has a huge talent advantage, but from an emotional standpoint, it could be a case of throwing two handfuls of jelly at each other to see which one breaks.
3. Physical differences
This is a basic observation, but sometimes these are the most important. Napoli have a very large group of players: Lobotka is the only one lacking in his position, and he’s built like a fire hydrant. This gives the Partenopei a huge advantage in crosses and high balls, where their size allows them to shine. Conte’s system doesn’t rely on winning duels, but the physical advantage makes everything better, especially when the midfielders move out wide, creating overloads on the wings that lead to cross opportunities.
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Fiorentina, on the other hand, are as poor at defending high balls as any team I’ve seen. Their set-piece woes are well-known and they weren’t much better in the game. Part of that was personnel–Robin Gosens was the only one better than average in his position–but more of it was the kind of lax marking and lack of concentration that would have defenders shaking their heads in disgust in Sunday’s league games. Just as Fiorentina may want to speed up this game, Napoli will want to slow it down. Of course, this will give the midfielders a chance to rest, but will also provide a constant goal threat.
possible lineup
Naples (3-4-2-1): Meret; Juan Jesus, Buongiorno, Di Lorenzo; Spinazzola, McTominay, Lobotka, Gutierrez; Elmas, Giovane, Hojlund ||| Fiorentina (4-5-1): De Gea; Dodo, Comuzo, Pangracic, Gosens; Guðmundsson, Ndour, Fagioli, Mandragora, Solomon; Fabian
TED Memorial Blind Guessing Club
If you were stupid enough to bet your money on Florence, and they were stupid enough to win, you would have made quite a profit. But hopefully you’re not that stupid, because the bookmakers are so heavily favoring Napoli that any argument to the contrary is so loud and angry. The Viola is ultimately the right solution and a shot in the arm for any team that needs to arrest their decline, a fact I have no doubt Conte has informed his players about. Exhaustion and resonance aside, this had the potential to be a bloodbath.
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However, due to the curse, I have to pick the away team to win 1-2. Since we were somehow detached from reality and into Fayveld, I’d say Fiorentina’s goals came from a header from Robin Gosens and a speculative shot from Rolando Mandragora, the latter of which deflected off a wildcat wandering onto the pitch (at this point, the wildcat was uninjured but slightly alarmed), while Giovanni scrambled for the hosts after a set-piece. Napoli had about 85% possession and about 10 shots on goal but somehow couldn’t break through. Then I would wake up again and have to actually watch the game.
Forza Viola!
