Napoli will be keen to keep their fding Scudetto hopes alive when they take on Empoli on Monday night.
With their Scudetto hopes hanging by a thread, SSC Napoli return to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Monday night, where they will look to dispatch relegation-threatened Empoli FC and extend their home winning streak to three games. For Antonio Conte’s men, this fixture is as much about keeping title pressure on Inter Milan as it is about steadying their own inconsistent form heading into the business end of the season.
A hard-fought 1-1 draw away to Bologna last week denied Napoli the chance to capitalise on Inter’s 2-2 slip at Parma, keeping the gap between the top two at three points. While avoiding defeat at the Dall’Ara isn’t necessarily a poor result, it is the latest in a series of frustrating outcomes that have stymied the reigning champions’ momentum.
Since closing January with a pivotal 2-1 win over Juventus, Napoli have managed just two victories in their last nine league outings. Encouragingly, both of those wins came at home — against Fiorentina and AC Milan, by the same 2-1 scoreline, highlighting the importance of form at San Paolo.
A third consecutive home win would not only keep Napoli’s faint title hopes alive, but also deliver their most consistent home run since early in the season. However, concerns remain: Conte’s side have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last five home matches, conceding in narrow wins and tense draws alike. That defensive vulnerability could offer hope to a desperate Empoli side scrapping for survival.
Sitting 18th in the Serie A table, Empoli are just two points from safety with seven matches remaining. A win in Naples could temporarily lift them out of the drop zone, especially if Lecce lose their tough assignment against Juventus. But for Roberto D’Aversa’s men, recent away form offers little reason for confidence, Empoli are winless in their last eight games on the road, losing five of them.
That said, they do carry one curious advantage: a recent history of shocking Napoli on their own turf. Empoli won 1-0 in Naples in both the 202/22 and 2023/24 campaigns, with a 2-0 defeat in 2022/23 the only blip in an otherwise remarkable run. Those results offer a psychological boost to a side that knows how to frustrate the Partenopei when it matters.
Still, to pull off another upset, Empoli must find a way to fix their attacking output and stay organized against a Napoli side that, while flawed, boasts far more firepower and experience. It’s a tall order, especially with relegation pressure mounting. The Hard Tackle takes a look at how both sides could line up and what tactics they might employ on the day.
Team News & Tactics
SSC Napoli
Napoli will be without two key starters on Monday due to suspension. Giovanni Di Lorenzo, the club captain and a regular at right-back, picked up a yellow card in the draw against Bologna and will miss the match through suspension. He is joined on the sidelines by midfield engine Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, who also received a caution that triggered a one-match ban.
Injury concerns continue to plague Antonio Conte, with defender Alessandro Buongiorno sidelined due to a muscle issue. Additionally, Leonardo Spinazzola and backup goalkeeper Nikita Contini remain unavailable with lingering injuries. Meanwhile, first-choice goalkeeper Alex Meret missed the Bologna match through illness and will undergo a late fitness assessment ahead of kickoff. If he is not cleared to play, Simone Scuffet, who started in Emilia-Romagna, will retain his place between the posts.
Despite Napoli’s recent inconsistencies, Romelu Lukaku remains one of the most decisive players in Serie A this season. With 11 goals to his name, no player in the league has scored more match-winning goals (6), and Conte will once again turn to the Belgian to deliver when it matters most.
Napoli are expected to line up in a 4-3-3 formation. If Alex Meret is unavailable, Simone Scuffet will start in goal. The defensive quartet should include Pasquale Mazzocchi at right-back in place of Di Lorenzo, with Amir Rrahmani and Alessandro Buongiorno, if fit, partnering in central defence, and Mathías Olivera operating from left-back.
In midfield, with Anguissa suspended, Billy Gilmour, Stanislav Lobotka, and Scott McTominay are expected to form the trio. Lobotka will likely sit deepest, orchestrating play from the base, while McTominay and Gilmour provide forward thrust and ball recovery.
Up front, Matteo Politano will start on the right flank, with David Neres offering flair and width from the left. Leading the line will be Romelu Lukaku, whose strength, movement, and finishing continue to be Napoli’s most consistent threat in front of the goal. The Belgian striker will look to exploit Empoli’s defensive fragility and steer the hosts to another crucial home win.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Scuffet; Mazzocchi, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Olivera; Gilmour, Lobotka, McTominay; Politano, Lukaku, Neres
Empoli FC
Roberto D’Aversa will have to navigate a growing injury crisis as his side travels to face high-flying Napoli. A long list of absentees includes Ardian Ismajli (thigh), Christian Kouamé (knee), Marco Silvestri (finger), Nicolas Haas (knee), Pietro Pellegri (knee), Saba Sazonov (knee), Szymon Żurkowski (knee), and Youssef Maleh (knee), all of whom have been ruled out. Additionally, Tino Anjorin is in doubt and will be assessed prior to kickoff due to a muscle complaint.
Despite these limitations, the frontline continues to provide flashes of hope. Sebastiano Esposito leads the club’s scoring chart with eight goals, contributing to a remarkable 33.3% of Empoli’s total of 24 goals in Serie A this season. His strike partner, Lorenzo Colombo, has five goals and two match-winners to his name, accounting for 20.8% of their goal tally. Both forwards remain pivotal to Empoli’s survival chances.
D’Aversa is expected to set up his side in a 3-4-2-1 formation. Devis Vasquez will feature in goal, shielded by a back three comprising Saba Goglichidze, Luca Marianucci, and Mattia Viti. The trio will be tasked with resisting the movement and physicality of Napoli’s front line.
In the wing-back roles, Emmanuel Gyasi will operate on the right flank, while Giuseppe Pezzella is expected to start on the left. The central midfield pairing will consist of Alberto Grassi and Liam Henderson, offering a mix of work rate and defensive stability.
Just behind the striker, Sebastiano Esposito and Liberato Cacace are likely to operate as dual attacking midfielders, tasked with connecting the lines and capitalising on transitional moments. Leading the line will be Lorenzo Colombo, who will aim to stretch Napoli’s defence and look for space behind the centre-backs.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Vasquez; Goglichidze, Marianucci, Viti; Gyasi, Grassi, Henderson, Pezella; Esposito, Cacace; Colombo
Key Stats
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Napoli and Empoli are level in their last 20 Serie A meetings, with both sides registering eight wins and four draws. Napoli edged the reverse fixture this season 1-0, after losing both encounters last season by 1-0 scorelines.
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There hasn’t been a draw between Napoli and Empoli in Serie A since September 2015 (2-2 at the Castellani). Since then, the teams have combined for seven Napoli wins and five Empoli victories across 12 league matches.
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Empoli have won two of their last three away games against Napoli in Serie A, a significant improvement considering they had only one win in their first eight top-flight visits to Naples (D1 L6).
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After a seven-game winning streak, Napoli have stumbled, winning just two of their last nine Serie A matches (D6 L1). Since February 2025, no team in the Big Five European leagues has drawn more league matches than Napoli (six draws, tied with Everton).
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Napoli have conceded exactly one goal in each of their last five home league matches, a contrast to their early-season home dominance where they allowed just six goals in their first 10 games at the Maradona. Despite this, they kept six clean sheets in that earlier stretch.
Player to Watch
Romelu Lukaku
With SSC Napoli aiming to stay in the Scudetto conversation, Romelu Lukaku stands out as the man most likely to tilt Monday night’s clash in their favour. The Belgian forward has been quietly decisive all season long, and his influence in the final third remains unmatched in Conte’s current system.
Lukaku has scored 11 goals in Serie A this term, but it is the quality, not just the quantity, that stands out, six of those strikes have been match-winning goals, more than any other player in the league. Whether it is a clinical finish in the box, a powerful header, or a composed penalty, Lukaku has repeatedly delivered when it counts.
Against a depleted and defensively fragile Empoli, Lukaku’s physicality, hold-up play, and intelligent movement could be too much for a patched-up backline to handle. With Politano and Neres offering width and creativity on either side, the 30-year-old will likely find himself on the end of multiple chances to add to his goal tally.
If Napoli are to make it three home wins in a row and stay within reach of Inter Milan, Romelu Lukaku will almost certainly need to be at the heart of it. Expect him to make his presence felt on the score sheet and beyond.
Prediction
SSC Napoli 2-0 Empoli FC
Napoli have looked vulnerable at home, and Empoli have a surprisingly strong recent record in this fixture. However, with the stakes higher than ever and Antonio Conte demanding more from his side, this feels like a must-win scenario that Napoli won’t let slip. Conte’s men tighten up at the back and grind out a crucial victory in front of the home fans.
