Saturday’s Serie A action wraps up at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona with a mouth-watering clash between Napoli and Atalanta. Both sides are under tremendous pressure heading into this meeting following a string of underwhelming performances before the international break.

Antonio Conte must have felt a huge sense of relief when the international window put a stop to club football for a fortnight. Indeed, his underperforming Napoli side slumped to a three-game winless streak in all competitions before the two-week hiatus (D2, L1), failing to score on each occasion.

Furthermore, a 2-0 defeat at Bologna last time out left the reigning Serie A champions two points adrift of Inter and Roma. Despite starting this round in fourth, Napoli can spend the night at the top of the three with a win here, though it will require a significant improvement on their pre-international break form.

Speaking of improvement, Atalanta felt like they needed an upgrade on Ivan Juric during the break. As such, they fired the former Hellas Verona and Torino manager and appointed Raffaele Palladino as their new head coach last week. The change was necessary, considering they began this round in Serie A’s lower reaches.

Palladino couldn’t have imagined a more challenging task on his touchline debut as he returns to management after several months, having parted ways with Fiorentina at the end of last season. Marooned in lower mid-table, Atalanta cannot afford another slip-up if they’re to return in contention for European qualification.

Match Preview

Napoli

Growing scoring issues have recently derailed Napoli’s title defense. However, Conte’s men have been in formidable form at the Maradona Stadium, going unbeaten in their last 16 Serie A matches here (W12, D4). In fact, they remain the only side across Europe’s traditional top-five divisions yet to lose a home league game this calendar year.

Indeed, you’d need to go back to December 2024 for the Partenopei’s last home failure, which perhaps best illustrates the size of the task awaiting Atalanta this weekend. Napoli must use their outstanding home form as an inspiration to help them snap their torrid scoreless run as they risk going three consecutive Serie A outings without scoring for the first time since January 2024.

Napoli squeezed past Atalanta 3-2 in their last top-flight showdown, avenging a pair of 3-0 defeats at the hands of La Dea in 2024. Another solid defensive start would likely increase the hosts’ chances of going back-to-back, with Conte’s side conceding before halftime in only two of their last 13 home matches in all competitions.

Atalanta

Winless in their last seven league games (D5, L2), Atalanta remain unable to move on from the illustrious Gian Piero Gasperini era. Whether Palladino could help La Dea turn the page remains uncertain, but as one of Serie A’s most promising young coaches, the 41-year-old to inject energy into a side desperate for a return to winning ways.

Palladino’s first task is to help Atalanta recover from a humiliating 3-0 home loss to newly promoted Sassuolo in Juric’s last game in charge of the club. However, an immediate success looks highly improbable, given the visitors’ sub-standard away record in Serie A this season (W1, D3, L1).

Another winless outing would see Atalanta fail to win at least two of their first six Serie A road trips in a new season for the first time since 2017/18. Still, consecutive 3-0 victories at the Maradona Stadium show that Palladino’s men are capable of upsetting the apple cart, giving them a rare confidence boost ahead of a daunting clash.

Team News

In addition to long-term absentees Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne, Napoli cannot call upon star midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa. Moreover, Scottish playmaker Billy Gilmour is also on the sidelines with a groin injury, further depleting Conte’s midfield options. Meanwhile, Vanja Milinkovic-Savic will start in goal, with Alex Meret still injured.

On the other hand, Atalanta will take this trip without Mitchell Bakker and Giorgio Scalvini. The latter’s absence means Odilon Kossounou will retain his place at the back, alongside Isak Hien and Berat Djimsiti. The only notable change compared to the game against Sassuolo could be Gianluca Scamacca’s return to the starting XI at the expense of Nikola Krstovic.

Napoli vs Atalanta Potential Starting Line-ups

Napoli (3-4-3): Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Rrahmani, Buongiorno; Di Lorenzo, Lobotka, McTominay, Gutierrez; Politano, Hojlund, Neres.

Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi; Kossounou, Hien, Djimsiti; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Zalewski; De Ketelaere, Lookman; Scamacca.

Napoli vs Atalanta Prediction

Only an intimidating home record has kept Napoli in the Scudetto frame so far, but we wouldn’t put it past Atalanta to knock the Partenopei off their perch. It’s perhaps too optimistic to back La Dea to claim all three points, but a draw could be a realistic goal for the visitors.

Prediction: Draw