Napoli vs AC Milan
Runaway Serie A leaders Napoli welcome defending champions AC Milan to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona for a blockbuster league clash.
Even though they’re on the verge of ending a three-decade wait for the Serie A title after moving a staggering 19 points clear at the summit, Napoli will be looking to claim bragging rights in this mouth-watering clash and make it three league wins on the spin. ‘I Partenopei’ have seemingly had Milan’s number of late, going unbeaten in 14 of their last 16 top-flight H2Hs (W9, D5), including a 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture at San Siro. That’s a good omen ahead of their upcoming Champions League quarter-final tie, but more importantly, it bodes well for Napoli’s bid to maintain an outrageous home form in Serie A this season (W11, D1). Interestingly, Luciano Spalletti’s men haven’t drawn any of their last 23 league outings (W21, L2), highlighting the potential for an ‘all or nothing’ clash.
As for visiting AC Milan, March’s international break couldn’t have been timed any better, handing under-fire manager Stefano Pioli a fortnight to get his side back on the rails after going unbeaten in three consecutive Serie A games (D1, L2). With fifth-placed Roma breathing down their necks, ‘I Rossoneri’ will be desperate to extend their two-game winning league streak away to Napoli and consolidate a narrow one-point lead on ‘I Giallorossi.’ However, Milan’s abysmal Serie A form in 2023 has seen only Lecce (6) suffer more losses across the last nine league matches than Pioli’s team (5). A lack of firepower has been a genuine problem for the visitors of late, as they’ve netted one goal or fewer in eight of their last nine competitive outings.