Napoli vs Lecce – News and Probable Lineups

In need of crucial points for a top-four finish, Serie A title holders Napoli will host struggling Lecce at Stadio Maradona this Saturday evening.

Since their chance to defend the Scudetto has nearly faded, the Partenopei’s focus now shifts to securing a place in next season’s Champions League, as they look to keep ahead of several competitors; meanwhile, Lecce has recently distanced themselves from the relegation zone with an improved run of results.

Match overview

Currently sitting in third place in the Serie A table, Napoli appears to have left the Milan clubs to contest for the Italian title, focusing instead on securing a spot in the upcoming Champions League.

Antonio Conte’s injury-riddled squad may be trailing far behind league leaders Inter de Milão, but they currently hold a valuable five-point lead over fifth-placed Como with 10 matches to play.

Last week, the Scudetto holders picked up their second consecutive 2-1 victory, defeating a struggling Torino, thanks to efforts from former Torino player Eljif Elmas and promising player Alisson Santos.

Napoli will now strive for three consecutive Serie A wins for the first time this season, while looking to extend an impressive unbeaten streak at home.

At 24 matches and counting, the Campanian club owns the longest active streak of home games without a loss among Europe’s top five leagues – although they faced defeats against Chelsea in the Champions League and Como in the Coppa Italia.

However, ahead of this weekend’s encounter, Napoli has only managed to win one out of their last four matches against Lecce at the Maradona.

After suffering a 1-0 defeat at home in the previous fixture in October, Lecce have been unable to score in their last five encounters with Napoli, losing each of the last three by the same scoreline.

While history may not support them, their recent performances indicate that the Salentini could pose a challenge this Saturday when they resume their battle for top-flight survival.

Having triumphed in last week’s significant six-pointer against Cremonese, which ended in controversy with Cremonese being denied a late equalizer and a penalty, Eusebio Di Françasco’s side is now clear of the relegation zone.

Lecce has won three out of their last five league matches—the same number of victories they had across the previous 17—thanks to finding the back of the net more consistently.

Despite their precarious situation, the Giallorossi find themselves in 12th place in Serie A’s defensive rankings, but they have struggled with precision in the final third.

Now out of the bottom three at the expense of Cremonese, they will be eager to avoid falling back into trouble, but a challenging fixture awaits them in Naples.

Team News

While Napoli’s injury list was starting to shorten, Antonio Vergara has now suffered a foot injury and could remain sidelined until April.

Nonetheless, Conte can count on the availability of fit-again midfielders Frank Anguissa and Kevin De Bruyne, with Scott McTominay potentially returning to the bench.

Stanislav Lobotka remains a doubt due to a muscular issue and is likely to join David Neres, Amir Rrahmani, and captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo on the sidelines.

After scoring against Roma and Torino, Alisson has caught the attention of Brazil’s head coach Carlo Ancelotti, and he may become the first player this century to net in his first three Serie A home appearances for the Partenopei.

Meanwhile, Lecce’s striker Nikola Stulic increased his seasonal tally to three league goals by converting a penalty last week, although all his goals have come at Stadio Via del Mare; he will once again compete with Napoli-owned Walid Cheddira for a starting role up front.

Medon Berisha, Françasco Camarda, and Kialonda Gaspar remain unavailable for the visitors, while Antonino Gallo has incurred a muscular injury and could also be sidelined.

This means that Irish defender Corrie Ndaba is on standby to fill in at left-back.

Napoli probable starting XI:

Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Good morning, Olivera; Politano, Gilmour, Anguissa, Spinazzola; Elmas, Alisson; Hojlund

Lecce probable starting XI:

Falcon; Veiga, Gabriel, Siebert, Ndaba; Coulibaly, Ramadani; Pierotti, Gandelman, Banda; Stulic

Though they are not the defensively solid side they were last season, Napoli has gone 10 matches without a clean sheet, yet they are expected to contain Lecce’s modest attack.

Despite an upswing in form for the Salentini, their fight for survival could suffer a setback at Stadio Maradona, where the hosts are welcoming back several key players from injury.