Napoli v Torino: a look at our next opponents
After the narrow win away to Monza, Antonio Conte’s Napoli return to the Stadio Maradona to face Torino, a side enjoying a solid season despite a few setbacks, such as the injury to their captain and talisman Duvan Zapata. Recent meetings between the two sides certainly favour the Azzurri: over the last ten seasons, Torino have won just one of their 19 Serie A clashes against Napoli (five draws, 13 defeats), although that sole win came only last season with a 3-0 victory at the Olimpico on 7 January 2024. This trend becomes even clearer when focusing on games played in Naples, where Torino have won only once since 2000, a 2-1 victory on 17 May 2009, with goals from Rolando Bianchi and Alessandro Rosina, while Joao Inacio Pia scored for the home side. Since then, Napoli remain unbeaten in their last 12 home matches against Torino (seven wins, five draws), although four of the last seven clashes have produced stalemates.
Torino: balance is key. Watch out for late drama
With four wins and three draws from their last eight league matches along with one defeat, Torino have shown strong form in recent weeks, consolidating a 10th place standing that highlights the impressive work by coach Paolo Vanoli. The boss has been particularly adept at restoring balance over the course of the season, even if it has come at the expense of some attacking intent. Amongst the top half teams in Serie A, Torino have attempted the fewest shots (321) and played the fewest balls in the opposition box (523). Their defensive solidity, however, has significantly improved, especially in 2025, keeping five clean sheets in 15 league matches and conceding more than once in only two games (three goals against Bologna, two against Parma). These numbers reflect their deliberate approach to keeping games under control, aiming to stay in contention and strike late. Torino are, in fact, the team who have scored the highest percentage of their goals in the final 15 minutes of matches this season: seven of their 38 total goals (32%). Counter-attacking, however, is unlikely to be a major factor: Torino (19) and Napoli (13) are among the four teams with the fewest counter-attacks in Serie A, along with Venezia (17) and Monza (15).
Elmas, a special former player, reliable Adams, Milinkovic-Savic a wall
It will be a special match for Eljif Elmas, the standout former Napoli player. The North Macedonian made his first 143 Serie A appearances and scored 14 goals between 2019 and 2023 for Napoli. The youngest midfielder (born in 1999) to have scored in each of the last six Serie A seasons (18 goals in total), Elmas has had a highly positive impact since joining Torino in January, scoring three away goals (against Bologna, Monza and Parma), second only to Che Adams, Torino’s top scorer.
The Scotsman, who has netted nine goals in his debut season in the top flight, could reach double figures for the first time in one of Europe’s top five leagues – he also scored nine in 2020/21 for Southampton. A goal here would also see him draw level with Denis Law as the second-highest scoring Scotsman in Serie A history (ten goals).
Finally, credit must go to Vanja Milinkovic-Savic for his outstanding season so far. The Serbian boasts the highest save percentage (78%) among goalkeepers with at least 20 appearances across Europe’s top five leagues and he has saved more penalties than anyone else this season (four out of five).
Article by the Opta editorial team
