On Wednesday, Lega Serie A released the official calendar for the 2023/24 campaign. Forza Napoli Press provides five things you need to know about the new schedule.
Tricky Start
Napoli will open the season on the 19h of August at 12:30 EST against newly promoted Frosinone. The Canarini will not be coached by the man who led them to Serie A. In early May, Fabio Grosso was in tears after his club secured promotion to Serie A with a 3-1 victory over Reggina. About a month-and-a-half later, Grosso confirmed that he did not feel prepared to continue to manage the club, a familiar story in Napoli.
Unfortunately for Gialloazzurri fans, Grosso’s replacement is Eusebio Di Francesco, who has barely lasted half a season at each of his last three jobs, The ex-Roma coach was sacked by Sampdoria after only eight matches in charge. Di Francesco lasted only 26 rounds at Cagliari before Hellas Verona let him go only four matches into the 2022/23 season.
While Napoli will be expected to win their opener at the Stadio Benito Stirpe, their next two fixtures could be difficult early-season fixtures. The Azzurri host Sassuolo on the 27th of August and Lazio on the 2nd of September, both at 14:45 EST. While Rudi Garcia’s men will still be adjusting to his style of play, Alessio Dionisi and Maurizio Sarri remain at Sassuolo and Lazio, respectively. Lazio will be especially difficult, having demonstrated last season that they are capable of defeating Napoli at the Maradona.
Next on the docket is a match against another newly-promoted side. World Cup winner Alberto Gilardino was promoted from Genoa’s Primavera team to guide Il Griffone back up to Serie A. Napoli visit the Luigi Ferraris on the 16th of September at 14:45 EST.
First Tough Stretch
Garcia’s first true test will be in late November/early December, when end of the Champions League Group Stage is intertwined with a difficult run of fixtures in the league. With the fifth round of the Group Stage sandwiched between matches against Atalanta and Inter, Napoli will want to ensure maximum points in the first four rounds of the competition. The sixth round of the Group Stage is not much better, as it will be played immediately after Napoli’s away match against bitter rivals Juventus. For new Juventus sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, the Round 15 match will be his first against his former club.
Africa Cup of Nations
Due to adverse weather conditions in Ivory Coast, Africa’s grandest continental tournament will be played in January once again. Victor Osimhen’s Nigeria have already qualified for the finals of the tournament. Meanwhile, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa’s Cameroon need at least a draw against Burundi in September to guarantee their place in the final. Should both players reach the final of the competition, they would each miss five league matches:
- Round 20 – Napoli Salernitana (January 14, 2024)
- Round 21 – Sassuolo-Napoli (January 21, 2024)
- Round 22 – Lazio-Napoli (January 28, 2024)
- Round 23 – Napoli-Hellas Verona (February 4, 2024)
- Round 24 – Milan-Napoli (February 11, 2024)
Additionallu, Anguissa and Osimhen will miss the Supercoppa Italiana, which will be played between the 4th and 8th of January. The pair could also miss Napoli’s Coppa Italia Round of 16 match, which will be played on one of the following dates: the 6th or 20th of December 2023; or the 10th or 17th of January.
Second Tough Stretch
Napoli’s second tough stretch of the season is in March, when the Partenopei play against three top clubs over four rounds:
- Round 27 – Napoli-Juventus (March 3, 2024)
- Round 28 – Napoli-Torino (March 10, 2024)
- Round 29 – Inter-Napoli (March 17, 2024)
- Round 30 – Napoli-Atalanta (March 30, 2024)
Should Napoli reach the Knockout Stage of the Champions League, the second leg would either be between the Juventus and Torino matches (5th to 6th of March) or between the Torino and Inter matches (12th to 13th of March).
A Few Noteworthy Points
- Napoli start their title defense away from home, at the request of Aurelio De Laurentiis, due to ongoing work at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona;
- For the third consecutive season, the fisxture list for the Girone di Andata (first half of the season) will not mirror the Girone di Ritorno (second half of the season);
- There’s only one midweek round of Serie A, which is Matchday 6 against Udinese;
- The first international break is the week of the 10th of September. Consequently, there will be no Christmas break, with only a week between Round 18 (30th of Dcember) and Round 19 (7th of January); and
- The Matchday 19 fixture against Torino will be postponed due to the Supercoppa Italiana. The Matchday 18 fixture against Monza could also be postponed for the same reason.
