Overview
After an unsuccessful start in 2026, Napoli quickly regained their form before the international matches took place, with a four-match winning streak in Serie A - their best record since September.
After being eliminated from the European arena and unable to defend the Serie A title, Antonio Conte's team is gradually stabilizing in the decisive stage of the season.
The 1-0 victory over Cagliari in the most recent round helped Napoli keep a clean sheet for the first time in 11 matches, while narrowing the gap with the leading team Inter Milan to 7 points.
Although not completely leaving the Scudetto race, Napoli still has to be wary of rivals competing for Champions League spots such as Como, AS Roma and Juventus.
Currently, they are 8 points ahead of Juventus - the team ranked fifth - when the season has 8 rounds left, but Conte certainly cannot rest assured.
Before welcoming AC Milan, Napoli still maintained an unbeaten home record in Serie A this season, a streak of form that lasted from December 2024. With 10 wins after 14 matches at Diego Armando Maradona's stadium, only Inter is the team with a better home record.
However, Milan was the team that won the first leg in September and only lost 1 in the last 6 away games in Naples.
Notably, Milan once created Napoli's heaviest home defeat in Serie A in 25 years - a 0-4 defeat in April 2023 - and also eliminated the opponent from the Champions League in the same year.
Under the leadership of Massimiliano Allegri, Milan does not have to be distracted by the European arena this season, which contributes to helping them maintain stability in the championship race.
After a 3-2 victory over Torino before the international break, Milan is ranked second, 6 points behind Inter. The victory in the recent derby helps Milan rekindle Scudetto hopes, but they need to maintain absolute stability, having lost 2 in the last 5 matches.
With 9 away wins, only Inter is the team with a better record than Milan at the opponent's home ground. Allegri's team also possesses the most solid away defense in the league.
However, the away trip to Campania is still a big challenge, especially when Allegri has only won 3 out of 11 encounters against Conte.
Personnel situation
Napoli still lacks many important personnel despite having two weeks of break, when Romelu Lukaku, David Neres, Amir Rrahmani, Antonio Vergara and captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo have not been able to return due to injuries, although some players have recovered in time before the international break.
Kevin De Bruyne's return brings a clear difference when Napoli has won all the matches he participated in, while the winning rate has decreased significantly due to the absence of the Belgian midfielder.
In the context of Lukaku's absence, Rasmus Hojlund continues to take on the role of center forward for the home team.
On the opposite side, AC Milan possesses many quality attacking options, with Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic scoring 9 and 8 goals respectively in Serie A this season.
In addition, Christopher Nkunku, Niclas Fullkrug and Santiago Gimenez are also ready to compete for a starting spot.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek has recovered from facial injuries, while Matteo Gabbia is the only case who cannot play yet. With the familiar 3-5-2 formation, captain Mike Maignan is preparing for his 150th match in Serie A.
Expected lineup:
Milinkovic-Savic, Beukema, Buongiorno, Jesus, Politano, Anguissa, Lobotka, Spinazzola, McTominay, De Bruyne, Hojlund.
AC Milan: Maignan, Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic, Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi, Pulisic, Leao.
The match between Napoli and AC Milan takes place at 1:45 am on April 7 (Vietnam time).
