Fiorentina are a puzzle right now. Two wins from their recent five, eight goals scored but eleven conceded, and an average of 2.2 goals shipped per game. That is not a defensive structure, that is a turnstile. Paolo Vanoli has returned to the Franchi hot seat after Fabio Grosso lasted just three matches of the new campaign, and the early evidence says the back line has not settled. The Viola attack can bite — Franco Mastantuono and Mateo Pellegrino give them genuine thrust — but the gap between their front foot and their back foot is a chasm. At home they will fancy their chances, yet every time they commit bodies forward, the counter-punch is waiting.

Napoli arrive with the look of a side that knows exactly what it is. The midfield trio of Lobotka, McTominay and Anguissa is a proper engine room — technical, physical, and relentless. They have been building momentum, and the market has them as favourites at the Franchi for good reason. The Partenopei do not blow teams away every week, but they control matches, squeeze the life out of the middle third, and take their moments. That is a recipe that travels well.