Leaving the Serie A title race aside for a minute, there is an exciting battle brewing at the foot of the table as three teams are fighting to stay afloat in the top flight. Lecce are currently in with a slender two-point advantage over fellow contenders Empoli and Venezia, but things could rapidly change in the remaining games, especially considering their next opponent will be Napoli.
AC Monza are already relegated, so Lecce will now focus on keeping their heads up and try finding ways to maintain this slender two-point advantage. One has to go back to February 1 when Marco Giampolo’s men won away at Parma. But since then, Lecce have not found three points together, but there are some helpful draws in the mix.
Last weekend, Lecce managed to find a point against Atalanta, which will be seen as a big boost for Giampolo, who will hope for a similar result against next opponents and league leaders Napoli. Their recent record against the former champions is rather bad, but Lecce will hope for a positive result and throw the Serie A race wide open.
Now coming back to the Serie A title race, Napoli took full advantage of Inter Milan’s position to get ahead of their rivals. The Nerazzurri’s dreadful run of one win in their last four games, including back-to-back defeats heading into the new matchday, has given Antonio Conte’s side the chance to overtake them and they took it.
Scott McTominay was the hero once again as his brace against Torino proved enough to collect all three points and open a lead at the top. The midfielder has come in clutch in key moments for Napoli in the last few weeks, and once again popped up with the all-important goals for Conte’s men to advance.
On paper, Napoli have four winnable games remaining on their fixture list, and that might be the case if Conte uses his experience in such situations. Inter Milan’s games are a bit difficult compared to Napoli, meaning the former champions have a great chance to clinch the Serie A title this season, as Conte will aim for a big win over Lecce to mount the pressure on the Nerazzuri.
Gianpoli should have some straightforward decisions when selecting his lineup to face Napoli, with Nikola Krstovic now available after serving a suspension. The centre-forward is now expected to come straight into the starting lineup and lead the line for Lecce, although the team are still missing Gaby Jean and Filip Marchwinski from the action with long-term injuries.
On paper, there are no fresh problems and Giampoli potentially has a fully-fit squad for selection. A similar lineup from last weekend is expected to take shape against Napoli, with Kialonda Gaspar and Federico Bachirotto as the main central defenders, flanked by Frederic Guilbert and Antonino Gallo.
Lassana Coulibaly and Mohamed Kaba will be present in central midfield, while Balthazar Pierret will play the advanced role. With Krstovic set to lead the line, Santiago Pierotti and Teta Morente will supply from either wing for Lecce.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1) – Falcone; Guilbert, Gaspar, Baschirotto, Gallo; Coulibaly, Kaba; Pierotti, Pierret, Morente; Krystovic
Conte’s decision to rush Alessandro Buongiorno back into action backfired after the defender hobbled off against Torino. Now, he’s in danger of missing the remaining games this season, which will be a blow for Napoli, although they are equipped to deal with the situation for the time being.
Rafa Marin might come in to replace Buongiorno with Juan Jesus also absent from proceedings as he will partner Amir Rrahmani in central defence. Backup keeper Nikita Contini and David Neres are out of contention for the time being, Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Leonardo Spinazzola are the expected personnel in the full-back roles.
McTominay has more or less cemented his place in this Napoli side as well as Stanislav Lobotka, while Frank Anguissa will complete the midfield setup for Napoli. Conte’s recent usage of Giacomo Raspadori and Matteo Politano alongside Romely Lukaku in the front three has worked, as he will continue with that setup for the time being.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3) – Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Marin, Spinazzola; Anguissa, Lobotka, McTominay; Politano, Lukaku, Raspadori
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Mctominay has become a regular fixture in this space following yet another game-changing display for Napoli. He continued to impress with a decisive goalscoring performance against Torino and will hope to repeat the trick against Lecce.
Conte’s decision to bring the Scotland international has proved a big hit, as the midfielder will want to end the season with the Serie A title as well as more goals in his bag. He is currently the most in-form midfielder in the league, as he will hope to be decisive again when Napoli visit Lecce.
Lecce have struggled for relevance in Serie A, and have somehow managed to stay slightly above the relegation zone as their rivals have not been able to capitalise. The likes of Empoli and Venezia may have another chance to topple Lecce in the standings if they can take advantage at the weekend
Napoli, given their current form, are expected to win this clash away from home comfortably, and put in a similar performance that saw them topple Torino. They could also take advantage of the pressure situation Lecce are in and march towards a second Serie A title in two years.
