Sports
Hojlund is one of the top five strikers in the world, claims Vieri
Napoli forward Rasmus Hojlund is one of the top five strikers in the world, according to Serie A great Christian Vieri.
Hojlund has scored seven goals and set up another three for the reigning champions since arriving on loan from Manchester United at the start of this season.
The Denmark international scored and added an assist in the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final against AC Milan last week, before Napoli claimed the trophy with a 2-0 win over Bologna on Monday.
Hojlund will be looking to add to his tally when Napoli travel to mid-table Cremonese on Sunday.
Asked whether Hojlund should remain in Antonio Conte’s line-up when Romelu Lukaku returns from a lengthy thigh injury, Vieri told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “I consider Hojlund as potentially one of the five best strikers in the world.
“He can score goals, but he knows how to attack deep and wear down defences. He has a strong left foot and is great with his head and his physicality. In short, he has everything.
“It’s not easy to take his place away from him, but it has to be said that Lukaku knows how to make the rest of his teammates play well as well. They need both, but deciding who plays is up to Conte alone. It’s a great problem to have to solve.”
3 – #Napoli have won the third #SuperCoppaItaliana in their history, the second in a final played in regulation time after 1990, when Brazilian Antonio Careca scored a brace in a 5-1 victory against Juventus. Triumph. #NapoliBologna pic.twitter.com/Ny6RzlCEdZ
— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) December 22, 2025
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Cremonese – Jamie Vardy
If he finds the net on Sunday, Vardy will take his tally in Europe’s top five leagues to 150.
The vast majority of those (115) came after he turned 30 in January 2017. In that time frame, Cristiano Ronaldo (141) is the only older player to have scored more than the Englishman.
The fairytale hasn’t ended, it’s just entered a new chapter.
Jamie Vardy is your @EASPORTSFC Player of the Month for November.
Now on #FC26 #POTM #SerieA @easportsfcit pic.twitter.com/uAKRH79awP
— Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) December 11, 2025
Napoli – David Neres
Although it took until October for Neres to register his first goal involvement of the season, he is the only Serie A player to have played a part in 10 goals (six goals, four assists) across all competitions since then.
He scored in the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final against Milan and followed it up with a double against Bologna in the final on Monday to secure the trophy.
MATCH PREDICTION: NAPOLI WIN
Napoli have only lost two of their 16 Serie A matches against Cremonese, winning eight and drawing six.
They won both of their most recent meetings in the 2022-23 season, including a 4-1 success at Stadio Giovanni Zini in October 2022.
However, Napoli have had a difficult time on the road this season. They have lost seven of their first 11 away games in all competitions this term – their worst record since the 2007-08 campaign, when they lost their 12th match on their travels.
Cremonese beat Lecce last match in front of their own fans and will be hoping to win back-to-back Serie A home games for the first time in 30 years, but they face a huge challenge to achieve that.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Cremonese – 18.2%
Draw – 23.2%
Napoli – 58.5%
