Soccer

Genoa vs. Napoli: Preview, TV schedule and how to watch

by Uros Popovic

Aug 31, 2014, 6:25 AM UTC

Paolo Bruno

Part Of

Serie A, Week 1: No real surprises in the first round

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It’s fair to say this trip to Genoa will be a difficult one for Napoli. Not so much because of the quality that the grifone possess, but due to the disappointment of getting kicked out of Champions League. Napoli are unquestionably the stronger squad, even if they were unable to do much to strengthen their squad over the summer, but the azzurri are facing a mental challenge more than anything. They’ll need inspiration following their disappointing loss to Athletic Bilbao, or their hope of the scudetto may vanish after just one match.

Genoa, on the other hand, were plenty active in the transfer market. Gian Piero Gasperini has added players he hopes will be more suitable for his famous 3-4-3 formation, players that just might be able to score some goals. But it may take time for the squad to gel, time that Gasperini may not have if he wants to avoid Genoa struggling once more with a relegation battle.

Key Player

Marek Hamšík

Napoli’s captain is a brilliant player, but he’s yet to consistently prove he’s world-class. And, more importantly, that he’s a real captain, one that can lead his team when they need it the most. In his interviews after the Athletic game, he made known his disappointment and anger over the failure to qualify for Champions League, and it’s to be expected that he will turn that anger into motivation for this match.

Key Matchup

Gonzalo Higuaín vs. Nicolás Burdisso

Both teams are much better at attacking than defending, but seeing as how Genoa doesn’t really have a world class striker, and Burdisso is the closest thing to a decent defender they have, let’s go with this as the key matchup. Pipita was, together with Hamšík, a rare bright spot in Napoli’s midweek game, and he scored in the first match in Naples. It’s going to be a huge challenge for Burdisso and his colleagues to deal with one of the best finishers in Serie A.