Saturday’s Serie A motion wraps up at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona with a mouth-watering conflict between Napoli and Atalanta. Either side are beneath super stress heading into this assembly following a string of underwhelming performances earlier than the worldwide break.
Antonio Conte will need to have felt an enormous sense of reduction when the worldwide window put a cease to membership soccer for a fortnight. Certainly, his underperforming Napoli facet slumped to a three-game winless streak in all competitions earlier than the two-week hiatus (D2, L1), failing to attain on every event.
Moreover, a 2-0 defeat at Bologna final day trip left the reigning Serie A champions two factors adrift of Inter and Roma. Regardless of beginning this spherical in fourth, Napoli can spend the night time on the prime of the three with a win right here, although it’ll require a big enchancment on their pre-international break kind.
Talking of enchancment, Atalanta felt like they wanted an improve on Ivan Juric through the break. As such, they fired the previous Hellas Verona and Torino supervisor and appointed Raffaele Palladino as their new head coach final week. The change was obligatory, contemplating they started this spherical in Serie A’s decrease reaches.
Palladino couldn’t have imagined a tougher activity on his touchline debut as he returns to administration after a number of months, having parted methods with Fiorentina on the finish of final season. Marooned in decrease mid-table, Atalanta can not afford one other slip-up in the event that they’re to return in rivalry for European qualification.
Match Preview
Napoli
Rising scoring points have lately derailed Napoli’s title protection. Nevertheless, Conte’s males have been in formidable kind on the Maradona Stadium, going unbeaten of their final 16 Serie A matches right here (W12, D4). The truth is, they continue to be the one facet throughout Europe’s conventional top-five divisions but to lose a house league sport this calendar yr.
Certainly, you’d want to return to December 2024 for the Partenopei’s final house failure, which maybe finest illustrates the dimensions of the duty awaiting Atalanta this weekend. Napoli should use their excellent house kind as an inspiration to assist them snap their torrid scoreless run as they danger going three consecutive Serie A outings with out scoring for the primary time since January 2024.
Napoli squeezed previous Atalanta 3-2 of their final top-flight showdown, avenging a pair of 3-0 defeats by the hands of La Dea in 2024. One other stable defensive begin would seemingly improve the hosts’ probabilities of going back-to-back, with Conte’s facet conceding earlier than halftime in solely two of their final 13 house matches in all competitions.
Atalanta
Winless of their final seven league video games (D5, L2), Atalanta stay unable to maneuver on from the illustrious Gian Piero Gasperini period. Whether or not Palladino may assist La Dea flip the web page stays unsure, however as one in all Serie A’s most promising younger coaches, the 41-year-old to inject vitality right into a facet determined for a return to profitable methods.
Palladino’s first activity is to assist Atalanta get well from a humiliating 3-0 house loss to newly promoted Sassuolo in Juric’s final sport in command of the membership. Nevertheless, a right away success appears extremely inconceivable, given the guests’ sub-standard away file in Serie A this season (W1, D3, L1).
One other winless outing would see Atalanta fail to win no less than two of their first six Serie A street journeys in a brand new season for the primary time since 2017/18. Nonetheless, consecutive 3-0 victories on the Maradona Stadium present that Palladino’s males are able to upsetting the apple cart, giving them a uncommon confidence increase forward of a frightening conflict.
Workforce Information
Along with long-term absentees Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne, Napoli can not name upon star midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa. Furthermore, Scottish playmaker Billy Gilmour can also be on the sidelines with a groin harm, additional depleting Conte’s midfield choices. In the meantime, Vanja Milinkovic-Savic will begin in objective, with Alex Meret nonetheless injured.
However, Atalanta will take this journey with out Mitchell Bakker and Giorgio Scalvini. The latter’s absence means Odilon Kossounou will retain his place on the again, alongside Isak Hien and Berat Djimsiti. The one notable change in comparison with the sport towards Sassuolo might be Gianluca Scamacca’s return to the beginning XI on the expense of Nikola Krstovic.
Napoli vs Atalanta Potential Beginning Line-ups
Napoli (3-4-3): Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Rrahmani, Buongiorno; Di Lorenzo, Lobotka, McTominay, Gutierrez; Politano, Hojlund, Neres.
Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Kossounou, Hien, Djimsiti; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Zalewski; De Ketelaere, Lookman; Scamacca.
Napoli vs Atalanta Prediction
Solely an intimidating house file has saved Napoli within the Scudetto body to this point, however we wouldn’t put it previous Atalanta to knock the Partenopei off their perch. It’s maybe too optimistic to again La Dea to say all three factors, however a draw might be a practical objective for the guests.
Prediction: Draw
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