Overview
Currently ranked third but quite far behind in the rankings, Napoli is almost no longer competing for the Serie A championship this season with the two Milan representatives. Instead, their realistic goal is to maintain their position in the top 4.
Coach Antonio Conte's team is facing many personnel problems. They are 14 points behind the leading team Inter Milan, and have also been eliminated from the Champions League and Coppa Italia before entering the final stage of the season.
In the previous round, Napoli took revenge after losing to Champions League contender Atalanta with a victory over Hellas Verona. However, they had to wait until the final minutes to decide the match.
After a long period of absence, Romelu Lukaku has only made limited appearances since his return, but his most recent appearance has made an important contribution to Napoli winning 2-1 away from home.
However, Conte still has reason to worry when his team has gone through 9 consecutive matches without keeping a clean sheet in all competitions. Meanwhile, many opponents are closely following behind.
With 11 rounds left in the season, Roma is currently fourth and only 2 points behind Napoli. Juventus, Como and Atalanta still have a chance to compete for Champions League spots.
However, Napoli can still be confident before the next match. They are unbeaten at home in Serie A this season and have only lost one of the last 17 times they hosted Torino at Diego Armando Maradona's stadium.
On Torino's side, the Turin team has only won one point in the last four away games. However, after winning the first leg with a score of 1-0, they have the opportunity to complete a double victory against Napoli for the first time since 2009.
Torino entered this match after a change on the coaching bench. In Roberto D'Aversa's perfect debut, they defeated Lazio 2-0 thanks to goals from Giovanni Simeone and Duvan Zapata.
It was a home match with a rather quiet atmosphere as many fans continued to protest against President Urbano Cairo. Therefore, the away trip to Naples may bring a more positive atmosphere to Napoli.
Appointed under a short-term contract, D'Aversa has the task of helping Torino stay in Serie A. Currently, they are 6 points ahead of the relegation zone.
The former Lecce coach even has the opportunity to become Torino's first strategist to win in the first 2 matches in Serie A since 1981. However, to do that, he will have to overcome Conte in the battle of wits on the coaching bench.
Personnel situation
As soon as Napoli received positive news about the force - Frank Anguissa, Scott McTominay and Kevin De Bruyne all returned to full training - they faced the risk of losing another pillar in midfield.
Midfielder Stanislav Lobotka is having muscle problems and his ability to play is still uncertain. Besides, David Neres, Amir Rrahmani and captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo will definitely be absent.
On the other side, Torino's attack will be led by Giovanni Simeone - a striker currently on loan from Napoli. He was the one who scored the decisive goal in the first leg in October, although he did not celebrate at that time.
After scoring against Lazio, the Argentine striker is now only one goal away from the 100-goal milestone in Serie A. He is likely to continue playing alongside captain Duvan Zapata - who used to play for Napoli.
Expected lineup:
Milinkovic-Savic, Beukema, Buongiorno, Jesus, Politano, Lobotka, Elmas, Spinazzola, Vergara, Alisson, Hojlund.
Paleari, Coco, Ismajli, Ebosse, Lazaro, Vlasic, Prati, Casadei, Obrador, Simeone, Zapata.
The match between Napoli and Torino takes place at 2:45 am on March 7 (Vietnam time).
