Serie A leaders Napoli will be looking for their seventh league win of the season when they hit the road to face a struggling Lecce outfit.
Lecce will be looking for their second win of the new season when they host Napoli on Tuesday night. The home team have been very inconsistent, and going up against the best team in the division certainly won’t be easy.
The hosts are 16th on the table with just six points in their eight outings. They have one win, three draws and four defeats to their name heading into this fixture. Following their 1-0 win over Parma, Lecce played out a 0-0 draw against Sassuolo and are heading into this one on the back of a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Udinese.
Lecce will have to put up a much-improved performance to stand a chance against Napoli. The visitors are top of the table with 18 points in their eight outings, thanks to six wins and two defeats. Napoli were off to a flying start in the new season. However, things haven’t been that great for them in recent weeks.
The Partenopei have lost two of their last four league games, and they have also suffered defeats in two of their Champions League outings. The Serie A champions have lost to AC Milan and Torino in the league and have suffered defeats at the hands of Manchester City and PSV in the UEFA Champions League.
Napoli have bounced back with a 3-1 win over Inter Milan since their 6-2 hammering at the hands of the Dutch club in the Champions League. The Naples-based club will certainly be confident about their chances in this fixture. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Lecce
Eusebio Di Francesco remains without the services of Gaby Jean and Filip Marchwinski. Meanwhile, Riccardo Sottil is expected to be available for this fixture. The home team will line up in a 4-3-3 formation, where Wladimiro Falcone will take charge in goal.
Danilo Veiga and Antonino Gallo will be the two full-backs for Lecce, while Tiago Gabriel will partner with Kialonda Gaspar in the heart of the defence. As for the midfield unit, Medon Berisha will start alongside Ylber Ramadani and Lassana Coulibaly in the centre of the park.
The Lecce midfield trio will look to ensure Napoli midfielders do not dominate the proceedings. Santiago Pierotti and Tete Morente will feature on the flanks, providing much-needed width to their attacks. Meanwhile, Nikola Stulic will lead the line for Lecce against Napoli on Tuesday.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Falcone; Veiga, Gaspar, Gabriel, Gallo; Coulibaly, Ramadani, Berisha; Pierotti, Stulic, Morente
Napoli
Antonio Conte was already without the services of Romelu Lukaku and Rasmus Hojlund, and now he has suffered yet another massive blow, as Kevin De Bruyne has joined them on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. Meanwhile, they remain without the services of Amir Rrahmani, Stanislav Lobotka, and Alex Meret.
Napoli will line up in a 4-1-4-1 formation, where Vanja Milinkovic-Savic will be in goal. Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Leonardo Spinazzola are expected to be the full-backs, while Sam Beukema will pair up with Juan Jesus in the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Billy Gilmour will take up the holding role. Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Scott McTominay will provide support to the former Chelsea sensation in the middle of the pitch. The duo will look to ensure they control the tempo of the game.
Matteo Politano and David Neres will feature on the flanks in midfield, providing width to their attacks and support to the full-backs. Meanwhile, Lorenzo Lucca could spearhead the Napoli attack in this fixture against Lecce.
Probable Lineup (4-1-4-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Di Lorenzo, Beukema, Jesus, Spinazzola; Gilmour; Politano, Anguissa, McTominay, Neres; Lucca
Key Stats
- After a run of four straight wins in the league, Napoli have now lost two out of their last four.
- Napoli are now unbeaten in their last 16 home league games since December.
- Lecce’s three-game unbeaten run in the league came to an end following their defeat to Udinese.
- The home team have only won one out of their first eight league outings.
- Lecce have lost each of their last five home games against Napoli.
Player to Watch
David Neres
Neres was regarded as a massive talent during his days at Ajax, but he has not really lived up to the expectations in recent years. In his debut campaign in Italy, he was involved in 30 matches, but he racked up less than 1,500 minutes of first-team action.
The 28-year-old winger finished with just three goals and eight assists. The Brazilian international has not really had the best of starts to the new season, as he is yet to bag a goal. In his nine outings, he has only managed two assists.
With some of Napoli’s key forwards out injured, Conte will hope Neres hits top gear and helps his team claim all three points. While he was used as a number nine in their outings, the former Ajax star should return to his familiar right flank position for this fixture.
Prediction
Lecce 0-3 Napoli
Napoli might not have been at their very best in recent weeks, but they still possess enough quality to see off a struggling Lecce side. Even with key players missing through injury, Antonio Conte’s men have the depth and experience to dominate proceedings.
Lecce, on the other hand, have been far too inconsistent to pose a real threat to the league leaders. Their struggles in front of goal, coupled with a leaky backline, could make this another difficult night for Eusebio Di Francesco’s men. The Hard Tackle predicts an easy 4-0 win for the away team.