Napoli under the spotlight
Juventus put the pressure on Napoli, moving to the top of the table after a 2-0 win over Fiorentina on Friday evening. The Partenopei would regain the top spot with a win in their Saturday evening fixture, but it won’t be easy for Maurizio Sarri’s side as they host third-placed Lazio.
The home side are also sweating over the fitness of star striker Dries Mertens after he suffered a knock to his ankle during the win over Benevento last weekend, and his absence could see Jose Callejon play a false nine role with Piotr Zielinski added to the usual attacking front three. Simone Inzaghi’s side have scored an impressive 58 goals in 23 outings this term,but have suffered back-to-back defeats in their last two matches versus Genoa and AC Milan.
Meanwhile Napoli have won their last eight Serie A matches, keeping a clean sheet in five of those encounters. Saturday’s fixture will be Sarri’s 100th game in charge and will also see the return of Naples-born Ciro Immobile to his hometown. The current Serie A top scorer has struggled to find the net versus this opposition in the past however, as – of teams that he has faced on seven or more occasions in Serie A – Napoli are the team he has scored the fewest goals against with just one in November 2012.
Milan travel to struggling SPAL
Milan boss Gennaro Gattuso will be hoping that his side can carry forward momentum gained in the last few weeks after going unbeaten in the league since December 23rd. With Europa League fixtures and a two-legged Coppa Italia semi-final with Lazio to take into account, this fixture seed the first of a tough run of eight matches in 36 days for the Rossoneri and the inexperienced boss will need to deploy every trick in the book to keep this run going.
SPAL boss Leonardo Semplici is reportedly in danger of losing his job after his side find themselves third from bottom of the table, three points behind Crotone who sit just outside the relegation zone. Their last home match saw former Leeds United man Mirco Antenucci provide the assist for a dramatic last-gasp equaliser versus Inter, but in reality SPAL have drawn too many matches with four from the last five at home ending 1-1.
Inter desperately need a win
Under-fire Inter travel to Bologna on Sunday, with Coach Luciano Spalletti under huge pressure to bring home the three points. They must likely do so without key striker Mauro Icardi, a player that the Nerazzurri have been so reliant on this term. Indeed, the Argentine hit-man has fired in 18 times during the current campaign, accounting for an incredible 47% of Inter’s total of 38.
Their eight-game streak without a win has equalled their all-time worst record, and a loss or a draw to Bologna would mean that their current negative won would be the worst ever in Serie A, surely heaping the pressure onto the Coach.
Roma host minnows Benevento
Eusebio Di Francesco’s Roma take on rock-bottom Benevento at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday evening, but must do so without their key man in midfield Radja Nainggolan. Lorenzo Pellegrini and Maxime Gonalons are also on the injury list, and we may once again see a deviation from the Coach’s usual 4-3-3 formation.
The match could see Benevento debut their astonishing signing Bacary Sagna, the former Manchester City and Arsenal man having revealed that he joined the struggling side more for matters of the heart than the head.
