Napoli vs Palermo Predictions, Betting Tips and Match Previews

Napoli continued their fantastic start to 2017 in midweek, as they beat Fiorentina here in the Coppa Italia. That saw them book a place in the semi-finals, they’re taking on Juventus over two legs in the next round. That means they’re still competing on three fronts, and it’s hard to back against them continuing to impressive in multiple competitions, given their recent form. They’re looking to claim another three points when struggling Palermo visit on Sunday night.

Palermo come here off the back of appointing Diego Lopez, who is now their fourth manager of the season. They made their first managerial change of the year pretty early on, but they have some way to go before they can match last year’s turnover. The Rosanero made eight managerial changes in 2016, so this latest move is hardly a surprise. Eugenio Corini took the post on November 30th, resigning before the end of January, after coming under pressure for not improving their fortunes within six weeks. The club is a complete mess, and they’re 1/8 to lose to Napoli this weekend.

Palermo do have something going for them, as they’ve been much better on their travels this season. The Rosanero have recorded 90% of their points away, along with 76% of their goals. Their scoring record away from home is pretty solid, having found the net in 91% of their trips, averaging 1.18 goals per game. For a side fighting off relegation, that’s not a bad return.

The problem is Palermo fail to turn that into results for the most part. They’ve only once scored more than once in an away game, while they’ve conceded two or more in 55% of their trips. They’re facing a Napoli side who have conceded 1.18 goals per game at home, failing to keep a clean sheet in 73% of their outings at the San Paolo in the league, including their last three. The Partenopei have kept just two clean sheets in their last eight home league games.

Palermo have found the net in 10 of their last 11 away, so they should cause trouble here. That makes both teams to score look like value at 6/5 with bet365. However, Napoli are the league’s highest scorers, so if anyone is going to outscore Palermo, it’s them. They’ve won and conceded in every league game this year. Given that the hosts are 1/8 favourites, having won six straight at home, it seems smart to go with Napoli to win and BTTS, which is priced at 7/4 with bet365.