Napoli are feeling the heat in the Serie A title race as they prepare to host AC Milan on Sunday, having lost ground since the January sale of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Antonio Conte’s side went into the international break having only won one of their last seven league matches, slipping three points below Inter at the summit.
Conte has repeatedly expressed his frustration over Kvaratskhelia’s big-money move to Paris Saint-Germain, where the Georgia winger has quickly nailed down a starting spot.
Without the speedy wideman, Napoli have lost top spot to Inter, who are three points clear with nine rounds left.
Napoli lacked creativity as they drew 0-0 with Venezia in their most recent league outing, their fifth draw since Kvaratskhelia was sold.
On Sunday, Napoli face another out-of-form side in Milan, whose head coach, Sergio Conceicao, is under severe pressure just three months after taking the reins.
Conceicao’s side sit ninth in the table, six points behind Bologna, who currently occupy the fourth and final Champions League place.
The bright spot for the Portuguese manager is that he again has a full squad to choose from for the trip to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, where they are unbeaten in their last six visits in all competitions (three wins, three draws).
But Napoli (61) have 14 points more than Milan (47) this season. Only three times in the teams’ previous 153 Serie A matches have Napoli entered the game with a bigger points advantage (15 in February 2014, 25 in April 2018 and 23 in April 2023).
Inter, meanwhile, can strengthen their position atop Serie A when they host Udinese earlier on Sunday. After spending much of 2024-25 chasing Napoli, they have built a three-point buffer to their closest rivals, having managed an impressive 2-0 win at Atalanta last time out.
Udinese should present a manageable challenge, with Inter having four straight league wins over them, but the Nerazzurri may lack their usual attacking firepower as Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram are likely to be sidelined due to injuries.
With key defenders Denzel Dumfries and Stefan de Vrij also unavailable, Simone Inzaghi will be left relying on the Nerazzurri’s depth.
Juventus, meanwhile, start their new era under Igor Tudor with a home match against Genoa on Saturday.
The Turin giants sacked Thiago Motta after enduring a difficult season, with their spot in next season’s Champions League under threat as they sit fifth in the table.
It was often a case of possession without purpose under Motta, and Tudor’s first task will be to inject some positivity into Juve’s play.
Despite Juventus registering 113 build-up attacks, 18 more than any other team in Serie A this season, they have scored only three goals from such actions, ranking behind five other teams.
There could be change coming at Atalanta, too, with Gian Piero Gasperini saying he will not sign an extension to his current deal, which runs until June 2026.
Speculation has even suggested he could leave at the end of this campaign, with Juventus and Roma mooted as possible suitors.
La Dea remain outsiders in the Scudetto race, sitting third with 58 points, but much of the media attention has been focused on the future of their head coach.
“There’s always a beginning and an end. What lies in between is the journey, which is often the most beautiful part,” Gasperini said recently, adding that he was focused on ending the current campaign – his ninth in Bergamo – on a high note.
He has brought Champions League qualification in six of his eight seasons at the helm and delivered a Europa League title last May.
“Am I looking for a house in Rome or Turin? For now, my home is in Bergamo. The present is what matters, and there are still nine league matches to play,” he said.
Atalanta visit Fiorentina, who are also in the mix for Champions League qualification, on Sunday.
