Is there any way to make an enemy fleet split?

[Sardismus]

I’m not sure this has been asked explicitly before, since I haven’t found any questions similar to it in the forum.
I’m playing as The Kingdom of Two Sicilies and I want to make Austria release Repubblica di San Marco but at the same time I want it to be a swift and not (in human lives or ships) costly operation, without a BIG naval BATTLE. They try to naval invade, which is something that when, in another playthrough, I attacked during Hungary’s Revolution, wasn’t actually attempted.
Could I, in some way, at least manage to distract them with a smaller (a total of 27, mine vs 30, theirs) one and make them go into a pursuit in order to, temporarily at least, distract them from my coasts?
Thanks to everyone is going to answer, I hope some will and that this isn’t off track for the tenor of the forums. If so, I would thank anyone who would advise me otherwise.

 

[Aardvark Bellay]

Distracting enemy fleets i did with Brazil, but as far as i recall they only followed me for a few squares and not many
and then went back towards the south-american coast. Not sure how that would play out in the Med.
Might stilll be enough to give you sufficient time.
*shrug*

I suppose you have to test it and if it doesn't work, reload an old save again.