Napoli vs. Como – News and Probable Lineups

As they pursue a seventh Coppa Italia title, current Serie A champions Napoli will face off against Como in the third quarter-final on Tuesday.

This matchup seeks to determine who will meet Inter de Milão in the semi-finals, taking place at Stadio Maradona, where Napoli has remained unbeaten in domestic competitions for over a year.

Match overview

Having started in the Coppa Italia at the Round of 16 due to their previous European commitments – which ended following an early exit from the Champions League – Napoli aims to clinch the trophy for the first time in six years.

Nevertheless, they narrowly avoided elimination against Cagliari, advancing after a tense 1-1 draw at Stadio Maradona, followed by an exhausting penalty shootout.

Penyalty specialist Vanja Milinkovic-Savic even netted one himself as the Partenopei triumphed 9-8, paving the way for this upcoming fixture and a potential semi-final with Inter.

With their European journey at an end, Antonio Conte still has the opportunity to complete a clean sweep of the domestic trophies, following last season’s Scudetto and their Supercoppa Italia victory in December.

His side has fallen behind in this season’s title race, recently trailing both Milan teams, but back-to-back victories have solidified their grip on third place.

Following a tense win against Fiorentina, the Serie A champions had to fight hard again on Saturday when they traveled to Genoa.

Goals from Rasmus Hojlund and Scott McTominay – the latter finishing with an eye-catching strike – had turned the tide after an early setback, before the match took a dramatic turn.

In a thrilling finale, Hojlund’s last-minute penalty made the difference after McTominay had exited with an injury, and Napoli lost their grasp on the lead before being reduced to ten players.

Now chasing a third consecutive win, Conte’s squad will head back to Naples, where only Chelsea have managed to defeat them since 2024.

While Napoli is a six-time champion of Italy’s national cup, Como – who defeated Sudtirol and Sassuolo in the earlier rounds – has a less illustrious history and is currently experiencing its finest campaign to date.

With substantial investment over the last two years, the Lombardy club is now in contention for a top-four position in Serie A and aiming for their first-ever Coppa Italia title.

Head coach Cesc Fabregas has seen his side score 12 goals across three consecutive victories until they faced a setback against Atalanta BC last time out.
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After a 3-0 triumph over Lazio in Rome, the Lariani netted six against Torino, followed by a 3-1 win in Florence that eliminated Fiorentina from the cup: this week’s matchup in Campania is next in line.

This momentum was interrupted by Atalanta’s strong defense at Stadio Sinigaglia, where Como failed to take advantage of playing against ten men for over 80 minutes – despite firing 25 shots and controlling 79% of possession.

Even when their star player Nico Paz was awarded a stoppage-time penalty to clinch the match, La Dea’s hero Marco Carnesecchi made another crucial save, leaving Como with just a single point and Paz in tears.

With a weekend off due to their contentious fixture against AC Milan being postponed, as San Siro hosted the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, Fabregas and his team will now aim to end Napoli’s lengthy unbeaten streak.

They came close to achieving this with a 0-0 stalemate at the Maradona in early November, after both teams won their home games last season.

Team News

With little time to relish his 400th managerial victory – achieved in such dramatic fashion – Conte hopes that McTominay will be fit for Tuesday’s clash.

Often Napoli’s key player, the Scottish midfielder was substituted by Giovane during Saturday’s match, leaving his availability uncertain amidst a lengthy injury list.

Already missing long-term absentees Kevin De Bruyne, Frank Anguissa, and Billy Gilmour alongside captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo – as well as wingers Matteo Politano and David Neres – the treatment room at Castel Volturno is crowded.

On a brighter note, Milinkovic-Savic has recently returned and may replace Alex Meret, who conceded a penalty against Genoa; Juan Jesus will serve his suspension following a red card received during the weekend’s match against his former club Roma.

In contrast to Conte – who was once his coach at Chelsea – Fabregas has a nearly full roster at his disposal.

Only Assane Diao and Edoardo Goldaniga are currently sidelined, while the rest of the squad has had eight days to train and recover.

Paz and Tasos Douvikas, Como’s eight-goal leading scorers in Serie A, will be a significant threat, with the latter also having scored three times in the Coppa Italia.

Napoli probable starting XI:

Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Rrahmani, Jesus; Gutierrez, Lobotka, McTominay, Spinazzola; Vergara, Elmas; Hojlund

Como probable starting XI:

Butez; Smolcic, Ramon, Kempf, Valle; Perrone, Da Cunha; Vojvoda, Paz, Baturina; Douvikas

After a tightly contested match during their last encounter, a well-rested Como side may challenge the injury-plagued Napoli again: barring a rare slip last week, the Lariani have been in prolific form, potentially enough to at least force a draw.

However, this may not be sufficient to advance, as their highly experienced hosts have triumphed on penalties in both of the previous rounds.