Napoli vs Lecce

Stadio Diego Armando Maradona sets the stage for a ‘David vs Goliath’ Serie A clash between Napoli and Lecce.

Khvicha Kvaratshkelia slotted home a second-half penalty to settle a low-scoring affair at Empoli last weekend (1-0), inspiring Napoli to their sixth win in seven Serie A games (D1) since a 3-0 rout at the hands of Hellas Verona on the opening weekend. As a result of their notable form resurgence under new boss Antonio Conte, ‘I Partenopei’ head into proceedings as the early pacesetters, boasting a two-point lead on second-placed Inter Milan. Napoli’s dream run looks destined to continue, given their flawless home record in all competitions this season (W6). However, they cannot afford to take anything for granted after failing to beat Lecce in their last three top-flight H2Hs on home turf (D2, L1), including a scoreless draw in this corresponding fixture in May.

Interestingly, that result marked Lecce’s first clean sheet in Serie A against Napoli since November 1997, which perhaps best illustrates the magnitude of the task awaiting Luca Gotti’s side this weekend. Gotti himself is under immense pressure after overseeing four consecutive defeats without scoring across all competitions. His men haven’t scored for over 270 minutes of top-flight action since being held to a 2-2 draw by Parma in mid-September. Expecting ‘I Giallorossi’ to break their scoring duck in Naples is wishful thinking, not least because of their inability to find the net on the road, having drawn a blank on all four league travels this season (D1, L3). Indeed, the visitors lament the division’s lowest-scoring record of only three goals after eight rounds.