Sassuolo vs Napoli Best Bets: Antonio Conte’s Side Set For Dominant Opening Day Display

Napoli begin their Serie A title defense with a trip to Sassuolo on MD1 and you can find our full preview, prediction, betting tips and odds below.

Sassuolo vs Napoli Preview

Napoli will enter the 2025/26 season as Serie A title holders following their historic campaign last year, as Antonio Conte guided his side to a fourth Scudetto.

Scott McTominay and Romelu Lukaku stole the show last season with their performances, however, the latter will not feature in Napoli’s lineup after suffering a thigh injury in the final pre-season friendly.

The Belgian international is set to miss the next three-months through injury and will likely be replaced by summer signing, Lorenzo Lucca, who joined from Udinese after an impressive campaign last year.

Despite Lukaku’s absence, the Italian champions will enter the season with a strengthened set up, bringing in Kevin De Bruyne, Sam Beukema and Noa Lang this summer.

As for Sassuolo, they managed to earn a place back in Italy’s top-flight at the first time of asking, winning Serie B last season after dealing with relegation in 2023/24.

Fabio Grosso has also been extremely active in this summer transfer window, bringing in Jay Idzes, Tarik Muharemovic, Fali Cande, Ismael Kone, Sebastian Walukiewicz, Alieu Fadera and Arijanet Muric.

The latter comes with a point to prove after a disappointing spell with Ipswich Town, which saw Muric be dropped from the starting eleven of a team that was relegated from the Premier League.

Bringing in quality was vital for Sassuolo’s chances of staying in Serie A this season, however, their record against Napoli suggests it may not be enough to earn three-points.

Napoli have won each of their last five matches against Sassuolo, scoring 20 goals and conceding just two, a run that starts and ends with a 6-1 victory.

Sassuolo vs Napoli Prediction

Although this is a battle of champions, with Napoli winning Serie A and Sassuolo clinching the Serie B title, there is still a huge gulf in quality between these two sides.

Antonio Conte’s side will be hoping to kick-start their title defense with all-three points and are heavy favorites going into the opening day against Sassuolo.

Napoli will be weakened by the absence of Lukaku, as Antonio Conte continues to search for a replacement for the Belgian, but after considering the statistics behind their last five meetings, we expect the Scudetto holders to secure a dominant victory away from home and begin their league campaign with a bang.

Prediction: Sassuolo 1-4 Napoli

Sassuolo vs Napoli Betting Tips

Scott McTominay to Score at Any Time: +175

The Scottish international stunned spectators with his performances last season after a disappointing end with Manchester United, as McTominay contributed to 18 Serie A goals (12G +6A).

Putting in such a strong display meant that the former United midfielder won then Serie A MVP award and earned a nomination for the Ballon d’Or award.

Last season, McTominay missed out on Napoli’s game of the season and the Scotsman will be eyeing-up the chance to begin this season how he ended the last.

The Scotsman has been priced at +175 to score on offshore sportsbooks and we believe selecting the 28-year-old to score is a strong consideration for the opening match – especially with Sassuolo conceding 75 goals in their last Serie A campaign.

Sassuolo vs Napoli Odds