After kicking off their Champions League campaign with a win, Napoli resume the defence of their Serie A title on Sunday, when they visit Bologna.
The Partenopei have won on four of their last seven trips to Stadio Dall'Ara, but after a mixed start to the season they sit just two points clear of their Emilian hosts in the standings.
Match preview
© Reuters
Though they carved out far more clear-cut chances at Braga's 'quarry' on Wednesday evening, Napoli almost threw two points away in their first Champions League fixture since limping out in last season's quarter-finals.
After Victor Osimhen was denied by both goalkeeper and goal-frame, the Italian champions led through captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo in first-half stoppage time, but it required a late own goal to rescue a valuable Group C win after their hosts had equalised in the 84th minute.
Nonetheless, victory eases some of the pressure on coach Rudi Garcia - who has not proved a particularly popular appointment in the wake of Scudetto-winner Luciano Spalletti's departure - following a couple of recent Serie A setbacks.
A 2-1 home defeat to Lazio just before the international break was followed by last week's lucky escape in Genoa, where goals from Matteo Politano and Giacomo Raspadori were required in the final 20 minutes to salvage a draw against newly promoted opposition.
As a result of such travails, Napoli have been trailing for 101 minutes during the first four matchdays; in the entire first half of their successful 2022-23 campaign, they were behind for just 84 minutes.
Having avoided a streak of three matches without a league win since April 2022, the Azzurri will be keen to avoid such a fate on Sunday evening, as they already sit five points adrift of early leaders Inter in the Serie A standings and cannot allow that gap to grow.
© Reuters
Currently just two points behind the reigning champions, with a tally of five points from four games, Bologna managed to hold Napoli to a 2-2 draw in the teams' last meeting at Dall'Ara, which came on the penultimate day of last season.
However, they have recently won only one of seven home matches against their Campanian counterparts in the league - and none since May 2019 - so precedent is not on their side this weekend.
Thiago Motta's men defeated promoted Cagliari just before international football intervened, having understandably picked up only one point from their opening pair of fixtures against Milan and Juventus.
On Monday night, Bologna returned from the break with a drab draw away to Hellas Verona, during which they dominated the ball but failed to turn possession into goals.
Now returning to Emilian soil, the Rossoblu have remained unbeaten in eight of their last nine league matches held on home turf, so prolonging Napoli's domestic difficulties may not be beyond them.
- L
- D
- W
- D
- W
- L
- D
- W
- D
- W
- W
- L
- D
- W
- W
- L
- D
- W
Team News
© Reuters
Rudi Garcia must make changes to his Napoli team on Sunday, as Amir Rrahmani was withdrawn from the win over Braga due to a muscular injury and centre-back partner Juan Jesus picked up a knock; Leo Ostigard may therefore partner Natan, who would make his first Serie A start.
Giacomo Raspadori, Jesper Lindstrom and Eljif Elmas are also in contention for a spot in the starting lineup, with Matteo Politano's place on the right wing at some risk, but star striker Victor Osimhen is still set to feature up front.
Osimhen has scored five goals in six previous Serie A meetings with Bologna, but last season's Capocannoniere has now gone goalless through his last three games in all competitions - something of a drought by his own high standards.
While Bologna's Adama Soumaoro - victim of an ACL rupture and not set to return until 2024 - misses out again, summer signing Alexis Saelemaekers is set to complete his recovery from a sprained ankle and could make his Rossoblu debut from the bench.
Hoping to hold off competition from Nikola Moro to start in the hosts' engine room, Swiss midfielder Remo Freuler has netted three times against Napoli before - including both his first Serie A strike in May 2016 and his most recent (December 2021).
Joshua Zirkzee is virtually certain to lead the line up front, but there are numerous contenders for three supporting roles behind him - Lewis Ferguson, Jesper Karlsson and Freuler's international teammate Dan Ndoye are the current incumbents.
Bologna possible starting lineup:
Skorupski; Posch, Beukema, Lucumi, Kristiansen; Freuler, Aebischer; Ndoye, Ferguson, Karlsson; Zirkzee
Napoli possible starting lineup:
Meret; Di Lorenzo, Ostigard, Natan, Rui; Anguissa, Lobotka, Zielinski; Raspadori, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia
We say: Bologna 1-1 Napoli
As Bologna are generally tough to beat at Stadio Dall'Ara - and Napoli may have a hangover from their Champions League exertions - the home side can snatch a point from their visitors, who are not exhibiting the same relentless rhythm that saw them finally end a 33-year title drought.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
