Serie A top four hopefuls AC Milan will travel to Naples this Sunday to face run-away league leaders Napoli.
The hosts are cruising to their first Scudetto since the 1990 season, thanks to a return of 23 league wins and just two losses (D2) in 27 games.
A club-record 71 points from those first 27 Serie A games has given the hosts an almost insurmountable 19-point lead atop the table, prompting talks of Napoli being ‘champions-elect’.
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Coach Luciano Spalletti has been the architect of this campaign. The Italian will be desperate to extend his remarkable work at the Naples-based side in the Champions League too.
His side’s meeting with Milan on Sunday is the first of three H2H meetings over 17 days, with both sides set to meet in the Champions League quarter-finals next week.
A win here could tell what will happen in that game. Napoli will be confident of winning here, though, as they have enjoyed great success at home this season. Only Lazio have taken points from Napoli across their last eleven Serie A home games (W10, L1). So a return to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona reinforces their credentials in this match.
However, AC Milan will be mildly confident of getting a result, given that they have won the last two head-to-head meetings between both sides. But their form just before the international break doesn’t inspire confidence, with the San Siro side winless in their last four competitive games (D2, L2).
They’ve won just three of their last eleven games (D3, L5), which not only dumped them out of the title race but also put their participation in next season’s UCL at risk.
Manager Stefano Pioli tried to boost morale by stating, “nobody is perfect or unbeatable,” as he plots to avenge a 2-1 loss in the reverse fixture. However, his biggest hurdle looks to be his side’s wretched away form, with the Rossoneri losing four of their last five Serie A road trips (W1).
Ten goals conceded during those defeats is a stark reminder of their defensive frailties, as only relegation-battling Cremonese have conceded more goals than Milan.
With Napoli scoring for fun, another high-scoring game with over 2.5 goals could be on the cards.
