Torino did well to dispatch high-flying Lazio last weekend but the Bulls have another tough test ahead of them with under-pressure title contenders Napoli coming to town on Saturday evening.

Can Torino extend unbeaten stretch?

Sinisa Mihajlovic is a controversial figure and he turns heads wherever he goes. Constantly under great scrutiny, the former Serbia manager and most recently AC Milan boss, Mihajlovic seems to have taken a firm hold on Torino reigns.

El Toro are heading into the weekend clash with Napoli on the back of a seven-match unbeaten run in all competitions which turned out to be a fantastic way to bounce back from back-to-back October defeats at the hands of AS Roma and Fiorentina, respectively. Torino are a tough nut to crack and in-form Lazio have been the last in line to feel it on their skin. Sinisa Mihajlovic’s men deserve great praise for recording a 3-1 win at Lazio last time out. Even though Romans played an entire half with a man down, following Ciro Immobile’s red card in dying moments of the first period, Torino should be praised for their efforts. Goals from Berenguer, Rincon and Edera will have been a major boost for the team’s morale and a huge pat on the back ahead of Napoli visit.

Sinisa Mihajlovic will be without Cristian Ansaldi and Sadiq Umar who are the two confirmed absentees whereas there is a big question mark over the availability of Kevin Bonifazi and M’Baye Niang. Additionally, midfielder Adem Ljajic has been pushed out of the first team due to disciplinary issues.

Napoli in crisis?

Partenopei kicked off the new Serie A season in impressive fashion. Not only have Maurizio Sarri’s charges produced fantastic results in the league by winning the opening eight matches, they also produced a high-tempo football which made them one of the most exciting sides to watch across the continent.

The free-scoring machine appears to be broken, however, with Napoli managing only one goal in last three matches across all competitions. Partenopei lost two of those games, most notably succumbing to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of reigning champions Juventus and face a daring task of getting back to winning ways. The Juventus blow seems to have hit Napoli hard as Maurizio Sarri’s men only mustered a goalless draw at home versus Fiorentina last time out. With Dries Mertens and Callejon unrecognisable in his attacking exploits, Napoli are suffering in the scoring department. The situation only got worse knowing that Lorenzo Insigne picked up an injury that will keep him out of the trip to Torino as well. Napoli boss Sarri turned to Zielinski to solve the lack of scoring but his dynamic performance against Fiorentina still failed to produce results.

Lorenzo Insigne and long-term absentee Arkadiusz Milik will be sorely missed this weekend. Maurizio Sarri will also be without Faouzi Ghoulam who is out with a knee injury that prompted Napoli to contact Atletico Madrid defender Sime Vrsaljko, who is expected to arrive in January.

Verdict

Napoli have no time to waste and need to go forward fast and hard in an effort to get back to winning ways. Torino will be looking to punish them on counterattacks and we fully expect this will be the match where Napoli rediscover their scoring form.

Top pick: Both teams to score   1.74 (14/19) @10Bet

Alternative pick 1: Over 2.5 goals   1.73 (8/11) @Betfair

Alternative pick 2: Napoli   1.68 (13/19) @188bet