Among the four teams kicking off the 2025-26 Serie A season is Italian champions Napoli, who will face newly promoted Sassuolo at the Mapei Stadium in Reggio Emilia. According to the leading bookmakers, the Neapolitans have everything it takes to repeat their success after winning their second Scudetto in two years last May. After all, the Azzurri club has been the one that has strengthened the most in the transfer market so far (De Bruyne, Milinkovic-Savic, Beukema, Lang, Gutierrez, Lucca, and Marianucci), extending an already competitive squad that will be busy on several fronts this year.
Antonio Conte, the main architect of Napoli’s fourth Scudetto in history, knows that repeating the feat will be very difficult, which is why he has asked president De Laurentiis for further reinforcements. However, Napoli will have to return to the transfer market in the coming days to compensate for the serious injury suffered by Romelu Lukaku during the friendly match against Olympiacos: the Belgian striker will likely be out for several months.
Meanwhile, the Azzurri’s preseason ended on a high note: after defeats to Arezzo and Brest, the Campania side gradually improved, beating Girona, Sorrento, and Olympiacos. The only flaw was a defense that still appeared to be lacking, with only one clean sheet in seven games. Sassuolo, on the other hand, are back in Serie A after just one year in Serie B: the Emilian side, led by Fabio Grosso, dominated the second division and last weekend beat Catanzaro 1-0 with a goal from Doig in the round of 32 of the Coppa Italia. The Neroverdi, still captained by Berardi, should have no trouble securing their place in the league this time around: the squad, a mix of youth and experience, has the quality needed to achieve this goal.
Sassuolo-Napoli: the latest news on the lineups
Grosso, in a 4-3-3 formation, seems set to field a “heavy” trident consisting of Berardi, Pinamonti, and Laurienté, the latter still attracting interest from several teams. In midfield, however, he will still have to do without Thorstvedt: Koné will play in his place. Also in midfield, Ghion is favored in the runoff with Lipani.
On the other side, Conte will adopt a 4-1-4-1 formation, with Lobotka in front of the defense and McTominay moved to the left in the four-man midfield. Lucca will start given Lukaku’s unavailability. Beukema and Juan Jesus are vying for a place in defense.
Odds comparison
Napoli’s victory is quoted at 1.60 on Lottomatica and 1.55 on Snai. The “Under 2.5” sign is quoted at 1.85 on Goldbet and Lottomatica and 1.83 on Snai.
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The prediction
After several experiments in the first friendlies, Conte has taken remedial action by choosing a more defensive formation and strengthening the midfield. Sassuolo remains a dangerous opponent, but previous results suggest that the Azzurri will prevail: Napoli has won all of its last five matches against the Neroverdi, remaining unbeaten in 20 of the 22 matches played against the Emiliani in Serie A. The “under 2.5” bet is worth considering: despite a few slip-ups in friendlies, we are still talking about last season’s best defense, which was decisive in winning the title.
Probable lineups for Sassuolo-Napoli
SASSUOLO (4-3-3): Turati; Walukiewicz, Romagna, Muharemovic, Doig; Koné, Boloca, Ghion; Berardi, Pinamonti, Laurienté. NAPOLI (4-1-4-1): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Juan Jesus, Olivera; Lobotka; Politano, Zambo Anguissa, De Bruyne, McTominay; Lucca.
Will Sassuolo manage to score at least one goal?
Yes (56%, 61 Votes)
No (44%, 48 Votes)
Total Voters: 109
POSSIBLE RESULT: 0-1