Stadio Diego Armando Maradona is the venue as Napoli and Torino go head-to-head in an exciting Serie A showdown. Friday night’s clash in southern Italy has all the makings of a ‘must-win’ affair for the home side, whose top-four ambitions might be on the line.

Romelu Lukaku opened his account for the season last weekend, and he could not have picked a better moment to do so, as his 96th-minute winner fired Napoli to a 2-1 victory at Hellas Verona. Fresh off ending a two-game winless league run (D1, L1), Antonio Conte’s side will be out to secure back-to-back wins in Serie A for only the second time in 2026.

With fifth-placed Como only six points behind, Napoli’s season could spiral into chaos unless they find some much-needed consistency down the final stretch. On that basis, the Partenopei cannot afford a slip-up this evening. However, led by new manager Roberto D’Aversa, visiting Torino will look to cause some problems for their more esteemed hosts.

Giovanni Simeone and Duvan Zapata were on the scoresheet as the Granata saw off Lazio 2-0 last Sunday, handing D’Aversa a victorious debut. Still, the visitors have not won consecutive league matches since Christmas Day, which is why they find themselves only six points clear of 18th-placed Lecce at the start of this round.

Match Preview

Napoli

While three points feel imperative for Napoli here, they cannot take anything for granted, especially after falling to a narrow 1-0 defeat in October’s reverse fixture. Furthermore, last weekend’s triumph at the Marc’Antonio Bentegodi was only their fourth in ten Serie A games (D4, L2), highlighting the depth of crisis at the Maradona Stadium.

On a more positive note, this venue has been a fortress this season, with Napoli remaining the only Serie A side yet to taste defeat on home turf (W8, D4). However, three draws from their last five home league outings (W2) can hardly inspire confidence ahead of this high-stakes showdown against a side they have dominated on this ground lately.

A comfortable 2-0 triumph in this corresponding fixture last season extended Napoli’s formidable unbeaten run against Torino at home to 13 matches (W8, D4). It’s also worth noting that the reigning Serie A champions have only lost two of the last 21 meetings between the sides (W14, D5), suggesting they are in a decent position to avenge October’s heartbreak.

Torino

After a hard-earned win earlier in the season, Torino could beat Napoli twice in a row for the first time since May 2009, although the odds remain heavily stacked against them here. That’s because they have massively struggled on their recent Serie A travels, suffering three defeats in their last four away league games (D1) while failing to score in each loss.

A genuine lack of firepower has plagued Torino’s campaign, with only three sides sitting outside the bottom three at the beginning of this round netting fewer goals than the Granata’s 27. Torino’s scoring woes have often come to the fore on the road, as they’ve bagged a disappointing average of 0.92 goals per away league match this term.

It would take something special from the visitors to address their wastefulness in front of goal at the Maradona Stadium, where they haven’t scored more than once on their last seven Serie A visits. Even if they do, it would likely require a lot of patience, given that just three of their 12 away league goals this season have come before halftime.

Team News

Despite potentially losing Stanislav Lobotka to injury, Napoli have welcomed Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Scott McTominay, and Kevin De Bruyne back to full training. However, they will still be without David Neres, Amir Rrahmani, and Giovanni Di Lorenzo. Despite netting a last-gasp winner against Verona, Lukaku is likely to start on the bench, with Rasmus Hojlund expected to lead the line.

On the other hand, Emirhan Ilkhan returns from suspension, while Che Adams and Tino Anjorin have recently recovered from injuries. Napoli loanee Simeone will be seeking his 100th goal contribution in Serie A, as he prepares to start alongside Zapata in the final third.

Napoli vs Torino Potential Starting Lineups

Napoli (3-4-2-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Buongiorno, Jesus; Politano, Lobotka, Elmas, Spinazzola; Vergara, Alisson; Hojlund.

Torino (3-5-2): Paleari; Coco, Ismajli, Ebosse; Lazaro, Vlasic, Prati, Casadei, Obrador; Simeone, Zapata.

Napoli vs Torino Prediction

Despite a full-blown injury crisis, Conte is running out of excuses for Napoli’s disjointed form, and there’s no better setting to help the Partenopei consolidate their top-three spot in Serie A than the Maradona Stadium. Torino’s bid to extend the ‘new manager bounce’ is likely to fall short here, as we expect the home team to take all three points.

Prediction: Napoli to Win