Naples and Cremonese will face each other in the round of XNUMX of the Italian Cup on 17 January at 21:00 at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium.
The match, which might seem already decided even before starting, will actually be a very important match for Spalletti's boys, who will have to prove that they are consistent in other competitions besides the championship.
Below is our pre-match analysis, including injury information.
State of form of Napoli
Napoli currently occupies the first place in Serie A with 47 points, 9 points away from second in the standings (Milan at 38 points).
Over the last 5 matches, the Neapolitans have collected 3 defeats and 2 victories. Fortunately, 2 of these defeats were in friendly matches, while only one had weight for the championship, the one against Inter. During these 5 matches, Napoli scored 10 goals and conceded 9, revealing a somewhat distracted defense.
Spalletti will have the whole squad is available.
State of form of the Cremonese
Cremona is last in the league with just 7 points, all collected through draws. In fact, Ballardini's team failed to collect even one victory in 18 days.
Over the last 5 matches, Cremonese achieved 4 defeats and just 1 draw. During these matches, the Cremonese have scored just 3 goals and have conceded 8.
Ballardini, unfortunately for him, won't be able to count on the injured Radu, Chiriches and Acella.
Napoli – Cremonese: which is the favorite team
of last 5 precedents between Naples and Cremonese, only two are recent. One dates back to a friendly match that ended 3-3 in 2019, while another concerns the first leg match of this Serie A season, which finished with the results 1-4 for Napoli. The other precedents date back to before 2000 and see a victory for Napoli and two draws.
Either way, the Napoli are clearly favourites, even if the starting line-up in Serie A will not take the field. Spalletti's boys will have to be good at maintaining concentration and bringing the result home to continue their journey in this competition as well.
