The big napoli vs milan showdown arrives with plenty at stake: a win would put the victor squarely in the hunt to challenge Inter as the season enters its final seven rounds.
The match kicks off at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona at 19:45 UK time (20:45 CEST). Expect plenty of atmosphere — and a tactical chess match — given how tightly packed the top spots are.
Napoli will be missing several regulars. Rasmus Hojlund was abruptly ruled out after a stomach bug and fever, and Romelu Lukaku remains frozen out of the squad after refusing to return early from international duty. David Neres, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani and Antonio Vergara are also absent.
That opens the door for Antonio Conte to field Kevin De Bruyne, Scott McTominay and Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa together after their recent injury troubles. They’ll be asked to feed Giovane, the makeshift centre-forward Napoli signed from Verona in January. Miguel Gutierrez gets the nod over Matteo Politano as Conte chases a fifth straight Serie A win.
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Milan arrive with their own issues. Rafael Leao is not fully fit after hip inflammation, and Christian Pulisic returned from international duty visibly fatigued. Max Allegri has therefore opted for a fresh front pairing of Niclas Fullkrug and Christopher Nkunku, with Luka Modric and Adrien Rabiot shaping the midfield. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is back on the bench after recovering from facial fractures; Matteo Gabbia is the only confirmed absentee.
The sides have already split their meetings this season: Milan won 2-1 at the San Siro in September, and Napoli took a 2-0 win in the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final in December.
Napoli starting XI: Milinkovic-Savic; Juan Jesus, Buongiorno, Olivera; Gutierrez, Lobotka, Anguissa, Spinazzola; De Bruyne, McTominay; Giovane.
