Both back from the international break with securing a top-six finish on their mind, Napoli and Atalanta BC meet at Stadio Maradona on Saturday.
Italy's outgoing champions sit two points behind La Dea in the race for European qualification, having played one game more, but they seem to have turned a corner under new management.
Match preview
© Reuters
Last season's Scudetto winners grudgingly passed the baton to Serie A's champions-elect Inter Milan just before international football intervened, as Napoli fought back to earn a 1-1 draw at San Siro.
Ex-Inter defender Juan Jesus scored the Partenopei's late leveller, but his post-match accusation of racist language from Francesco Acerbi was recently denied by Italian football's sports judge - in protest, Napoli will not wear the regular 'Keep Racism Out' badge this weekend.
Despite being knocked out of the Champions League by Barcelona, the Campanian club have experienced something of a revival under interim manager Francesco Calzona, who is back in Naples on a short-term contract before steering Slovakia through Euro 2024 in the summer.
Though still 31 points adrift of Inter in the Serie A standings, Napoli have suffered just one loss from seven since Calzona took the reins, and they are enjoying their best unbeaten run in the league since early last year, when they put together eight straight wins en route to the title.
Under three different head coaches, they have struggled to match expectations on home turf this term, but the Partenopei will now be aiming to prolong a seven-match streak without defeat at Stadio Maradona, which dates back to December.
Napoli have won their last four league matches against Atalanta, including this season's 2-1 victory in Bergamo, so securing a win that takes them above their opponents in the table is the hosts' main target on Saturday.
© Reuters
Atalanta last kicked a ball in Serie A some three weeks ago, as a tragic event saw their most recent fixture postponed shortly before kickoff; Fiorentina director Joe Barone was taken ill and rushed to hospital, so the game was called off. Not long after, news emerged that he had passed away.
Therefore, the last time La Dea saw competitive action was a comeback win over Sporting Lisbon in the second leg of their Europa League last-16 tie, when second-half strikes from Ademola Lookman and Gianluca Scamacca secured both a 3-2 aggregate success and a mouthwatering quarter-final against Liverpool.
Gian Piero Gasperini's side have, however, accrued just two points from their last four league matches and are now in danger of going five games without a Serie A victory for the first time since February 2022.
Occupying sixth place with 10 games to play, Atalanta sit seven points adrift of fourth-placed Bologna and four behind rejuvenated Roma; fifth place could yet be enough to secure a slot in next year's expanded Champions League, though, and they have one game in hand on everyone except Fiorentina.
In addition to their rescheduled league contest against the Viola, La Dea must soon tackle the Tuscan team twice in a two-legged Coppa Italia semi-final, the first leg of which comes at Stadio Franchi next Wednesday.
Team News
© Reuters
After missing out on the game against Inter and Nigeria's recent internationals, Napoli striker Victor Osimhen will be back in action on Saturday afternoon, when he takes on one of his favourite opponents.
Last year's Capocannoniere certainly likes playing La Dea, having both scored his first Serie A goal against Atalanta in October 2020 and been directly involved in five goals from five meetings all told - he also set up the winner in November's reverse fixture.
However, the hosts' other star player, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, sustained a groin injury on Tuesday night while helping Georgia reach a first major finals via the Euro 2024 playoffs.
Meanwhile, Teun Koopmeiners and Ademola Lookman have been Atalanta's most prolific men in Serie A this season, netting 10 and eight times respectively.
Both should start at Stadio Maradona, though the former has been struggling with a calf problem picked up on international duty; Belgian forward Charles De Ketelaere is sidelined by a thigh injury.
Napoli possible starting lineup:
Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Rui; Anguissa, Lobotka, Traore; Politano, Osimhen, Raspadori
Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:
Carnesecchi; Scalvini, Djimsiti, Kolasinac; Holm, Ederson, De Roon, Ruggeri; Koopmeiners, Lookman; Scamacca
We say: Napoli 1-1 Atalanta BC
Napoli have been below their best on home soil this term, while Atalanta rank just 10th for points won on the road in Serie A and are enduring a sticky patch. Therefore, just a second draw in 18 games between these teams in Naples could be on the cards.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
