Seeking to reduce their deficit in the Serie A title race, second-placed Napoli welcome Fiorentina to Stadio Maradona on Sunday.
After the Partenopei snatched a draw from the jaws of defeat in last week’s Scudetto showdown, they are now intent on ending their long winless streak.
Match preview
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Though Napoli’s intense encounter with Inter Milan ended all square last weekend, the spirit they showed to fight back and secure a point against Italy’s reigning champions will have brightened the dark mood of Antonio Conte.
The ex-Inter boss has seen his current team stumble off top spot since a bleak winter transfer window, and they went behind on home turf when Federico Dimarco fired in an excellent first-half free kick.
Having dominated most of the second half, the hosts eventually broke through with stoppage time looming, as substitute Philip Billing poked the ball in at his second attempt, following an inspired sprint forward by Stanislav Lobotka.
However, for the first time ever a Conte-coached team have gone five consecutive matches without recording a league win, as Napoli’s last Serie A success came back in January against Juventus.
As well as losing in Como at the end of last month, the Campanian club also have drawn their last two games at the Maradona, where they had previously won nine of 11 top-flight fixtures this season.
After an emphatic 3-0 win in January’s reverse match, Napoli would now love to repeat that feat against Fiorentina, helping them do the double over their Tuscan counterparts for the first time in four years.
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Napoli and Fiorentina have alternated between a win each across their last six league meetings in Naples, with the Viola winning 3-1 on their most recent visit 18 months ago.
They head south on this occasion amid a worrying slump, as Raffaele Palladino‘s side have recently slipped to seventh in the Serie A standings, having previously been battling for a potential top-four finish.
Following Thursday’s chaotic 3-2 Conference League defeat to Panathinaikos, which puts their progress to the quarter-finals under some threat, the Florence club have lost four of their last five fixtures.
Palladino’s position has even been called into question – despite his bright start to life at Stadio Franchi and last week’s 1-0 home win over Lecce – so he will be keen to avoid losing three straight away games in Serie A.
Across all competitions, Fiorentina have won only one of their last eight on the road while failing to keep a single clean sheet, so stopping Scudetto-hungry Napoli could prove a tough task.
Team News
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Antonio Conte is still missing regular starters Frank Anguissa and David Neres, so after a positive performance against Inter he could name a similar team on Sunday, with Billy Gilmour continuing in midfield.
Pasquale Mazzocchi is also sidelined by injury, so Leonardo Spinazzola and Matteo Politano – the latter of whom has scored four league goals against Fiorentina – should occupy either flank in a 3-5-2 formation.
Mathias Olivera recently signed a new contract until 2030, and his return to fitness will provide Spinazzola with competition on the left.
Joining Giacomo Raspadori up front, Romelu Lukaku is one goal away from reaching double figures in one of Europe’s top five leagues for a 12th season; since he first did so with West Bromwich Albion back in 2012-13, only Robert Lewandowski has managed more.
Between two legs of their Conference League last-16 tie, Fiorentina – already two-time finalists in UEFA’s newest club competition – may make changes.
Raffaele Palladino rotated his squad on Thursday, with Pietro Terracciano, Matias Moreno, Nicolo Fagioli and Amir Richardson all starting. Some of those switches should be reversed – most notably, David de Gea replacing Terracciano in goal – but fit-again top scorer Moise Kean may keep his place.
Palladino’s options will be limited, though, as Nicolo Zaniolo and Rolando Mandragora are suspended; Marin Pongracic, Andrea Colpani and Napoli-owned midfielder Michael Folorunsho are all doubts due to injury.
Napoli possible starting lineup:
Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno; Politano, Gilmour, Lobotka, McTominay, Spinazzola; Raspadori, Lukaku
Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
De Gea; Comuzzo, Mari, Ranieri; Dodo, Adli, Cataldi, Ndour, Gosens; Beltran, Kean
We say: Napoli 1-0 Fiorentina
Having run out of steam during February, it seemed that Napoli were back to their resilient best in last week’s title clash with Inter.
Building on that performance, they should now end their six-week wait for success, claiming maximum points at misfiring Fiorentina’s expense.
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