With the Serie A title race heating up Napoli return to action against AC Milan at the Stadio Maradona. Antonio Conte’s men find themselves three points behind league leaders Inter Milan and cannot afford any more setbacks in their pursuit of a second Scudetto in three years. AC Milan enter this clash with an impressive unbeaten record in Naples having avoided defeat in their last six visits across all competitions.
LOOKING FOR ANOTHER SCUDETTO
Before the international break Napoli missed a chance to move to the top of the table managing only a 0-0 draw against Venezia. While Inter later won to extend their lead, Napoli’s stuttering form is a major concern. They have picked up just one victory in their last seven league matches, a worrying dip for a side chasing silverware. Conte’s tactical shift to a 3-5-2 prompted by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s departure remains a work in progress. However, Napoli will take confidence from their 2-0 win over Milan at the San Siro earlier in the season where Romelu Lukaku and Kvaratskhelia starred. Now, with just nine games left Napoli must rediscover their winning touch to keep pace with Inter.
They now have a chance to extend their streak in Naples to seven, a feat they have never previously achieved in their long history. Despite a turbulent campaign the Rossoneri have steadied the ship with back to back league wins before the break. If they manage a third consecutive league win it would be for the first time since September. However, Milan’s hopes of securing a top four finish remain in the balance. With just 47 points accumulated so far history is against them as only one team in the past 20 years has reached the Champions League places with such a low tally at this stage of the season.
Napoli’s David Neres is back in full training, but Conte is likely to stick with the 3-5-2 setup, pairing Giacomo Raspadori with Lukaku in attack. Frank Anguissa, now fit, should return to the midfield.
For Milan, Emerson Royal is their only absentee due to injury, while Yunus Musah is suspended. Tammy Abraham and Santiago Gimenez will compete for the central striker role, while Pulisic is a guaranteed starter after an impressive season.
Napoli possible starting lineup: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno; Politano, Anguissa, Lobotka, McTominay, Spinazzola; Raspadori, Lukaku
AC Milan possible starting lineup: Maignan; Walker, Thiaw, Gabbia, Hernandez; Bondo, Fofana; Pulisic, Reijnders, Leao; Abraham
