Match Today: Napoli vs Hellas Verona 15-08-2022 Serie A

Napoli start their season with a match against Hellas Verona and are looking to make a positive start after the disappointment of losing the Serie A title last season. Meanwhile, it was the summer of change at the Marcantonio Bentegodi stadium, where Gabriel Sioufi was brought in as a replacement for Igor Theodor, who had a chance in Marseille. For much of last season, Napoli were battling to end their 32-year wait to win the Premier League, only to finally finish seven points behind final champion AC Milan. While another challenge will be the goal this time around, Luciano Spalletti must do so without the likes of Kalidou Coulibaly, Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens at his disposal.

Although Napoli enjoyed a productive pre-season, their best win came over La Liga newcomer Girona, and the early weeks of the campaign could prove the test with trips to Fiorentina and Lazio by September 3. However, after admiring Udinese on a temporary basis, there is a feeling that Gabriel Siofi deserves to be in the business for a year. 2022-23, and the Verona hierarchy will feel confident that they can continue to challenge to finish the first half. In terms of transfers, there have been a slew of arrivals and departures, but it seems that the biggest exit is yet to come, with last season's top scorer Giovanni Simeone on the verge of signing. For Napoli.While this is far from ideal ahead of such a challenging opening match, Gabriel Sioufi hopes that the enthusiasm for the new season will help lead his team to a positive start under his stewardship.

Verona will miss Federico Secherini, who was injured in the 4-1 defeat by Bari in the Italian Cup. Davide Varoni will appear with his red card that only applies to that competition, but Antonin Barak expects to gain a call-up after he was only brought off the bench one last time. Kim Min Jae and Khafisha Kvaratskhelia are both in line to hand Napoli their first in central defense and on the wing respectively. His new teammate Leo Ostegaard is likely to start the match between the bench, as may Peter Zielinski only start on the bench in the final friendly match against Espanyol. With some influential names missing from Napoli's squad, they are heading into the somewhat unknown this season. However, with the new Verona driving, we feel the visitors should be good enough to beat what should be a tight competition.