Overview
The Serie A highlight match last weekend saw Napoli travel to San Siro to face Inter Milan, where 90 minutes of tension ended in a 2-2 draw.
Having defeated Inter in Naples at the beginning of the season, coach Antonio Conte's team entered the match with the most important task - avoiding being empty-handed. Before kick-off, Napoli was 4 points behind the leading team Inter, so a positive result is a mandatory requirement for them not to be left behind in the race.
Scott McTominay, who has repeatedly played the hero role of Partenopei, continued to shine with a double to bring home one point. Notably, the second equalizer of the Scottish midfielder came right after Conte was sent off for reacting to a penalty situation.
4 days earlier, Napoli also just escaped defeat in a 2-2 draw with Verona - a team struggling in the relegation battle - thanks to McTominay's goal, thereby extending the unbeaten streak at home.
Unbeaten in 19 matches in Serie A at the Stadio Maradona, including 14 wins, the defending champion tastes defeat in Naples more than a year ago. Therefore, in the context of being behind both Milan representatives in this season's championship race, while Juventus and Roma are still chasing, Conte's team is forced to maximize their home advantage in the upcoming match.
Meanwhile, history does not favor Parma as they have lost four of their last five away games at Napoli. However, coach Carlos Cuesta's team is showing signs of recovery and gradually escaping the danger zone.
Winning a total of 10 points after 6 matches, Parma has climbed to 14th place, creating a gap of 7 points compared to the relegation group. Last weekend, they thoroughly exploited Lecce's lack of discipline when the home team dropped the lead after only having 10, then 9 players on the field.
Mateo Pellegrino continues to make his mark in an important victory against a direct competitor in the relegation race. Therefore, Cuesta's top priority in the winter transfer window will be to keep this key striker.
Although Parma has never had two consecutive victories in Serie A since 2020, recent away form has brought hope. They have won 3 of their last 4 away matches. This is the basis to believe that Parma can create a surprise against Napoli.
Personnel situation
Napoli continues to be missing a series of important personnel, including the trio of midfielders Kevin De Bruyne, Frank Anguissa and Billy Gilmour, along with Romelu Lukaku. However, coach Antonio Conte expects David Neres to soon reappear after injury.
The Brazilian winger is likely only placed on the bench. In defense, Juan Jesus is completely absent due to suspension, opening up opportunities for Alessandro Buongiorno to replace him in the center-back position.
In midfield, Scott McTominay is returning at the right time. After a 9-match non-goal streak in Serie A, the Scottish star has exploded with 3 goals in the last 2 matches and is likely to continue to start alongside Stanislav Lobotka in midfield.
In attack, Rasmus Hojlund will lead the home team's spearhead, while Mateo Pellegrino on the away team's side aims to improve his personal record in Serie A this season, where he has 6 goals and 1 assist.
On the opposite side, Parma's injury list has been significantly reduced. Currently, only Matija Frigan, Zion Suzuki and Abdoulaye Ndiaye are in the process of treatment.
Another noteworthy point is that the situation of Norwegian full-back Mathias Lovik is still open, after being eliminated from the competition list in the match against Lecce.
Expected lineup:
Milinkovic-Savic, Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Politano, Lobotka, McTominay, Spinazzola, Elmas, Lang, Hojlund.
Corvi, Del Prato, Circati, Valenti, Valeri, Bernabe, Keita, Sorensen, Ondrejka, Benedyczak, Pellegrino.
The match between Napoli and Parma takes place at 0:30 AM on January 15 (Vietnam time).
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