Preview: Napoli vs Atalanta BC - prediction, team news, lineups

Having failed to win any of their last three games before the break, Napoli will seek an overdue victory on Saturday evening, when they welcome Atalanta BC to Stadio Maradona.

While the Serie A champions have been struggling for several weeks, their visitors are marooned in mid-table and hope to spark a revival under new management.

Match preview

With injuries and an acute lack of bite beginning to take their toll, Napoli were beaten by Bologna just before international football intervened, as their hosts moved just one point behind them in the Serie A standings.

Having barely laid a glove on the home side at Stadio Dall'Ara, Antonio Conte's men succumbed to a tame 2-0 defeat - already their third away loss in the league this term.

That setback prompted more caustic words to the press from the Partenopei's outspoken coach, who then took an unexpected week off while most of his players were away on national-team duty.

Amid talk of another dramatic Conte exit, his side still sit a mere two points behind table-topping Inter Milan - and they have yet to lose at the Maradona this season.

As well as beating Sporting Lisbon and drawing 0-0 with Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League - where they feature just inside the all-important top 24 - Napoli have won four of five home fixtures in Serie A.

However, the Partenopei have a far less impressive recent record when hosting Atalanta, who may be buoyed by a change of head coach.

Atalanta were still Scudetto challengers when the sides last met in January, as Napoli's 3-2 win earned revenge for a heavy home loss two months earlier.

Remarkably, the Bergamo club have won both of their last two games in Naples by the same 3-0 scoreline - but a repeat result on Saturday night seems unlikely.

Struggling to move on from the highly successful Gian Piero Gasperini era, they have produced just two wins from 11 Serie A matches so far, losing 3-0 at home to Sassuolo before the international break.

Almost inevitably, that led to a swift change in the dugout, with ex-Fiorentina boss Raffaele Palladino replacing Ivan Juric, who was sacked for a third time in the space of one year.

Palladino inherits a team on an eight-match winless run in Italy's top flight, albeit La Dea did defeat Marseille in the Champions League earlier this month.

Stuck in 13th place with nearly a third of the Serie A season behind them, Atalanta cannot afford to fall further behind, or their recent tradition of qualifying for Europe could come to an end.

Napoli Serie A form:

W L W W D L

Napoli form (all competitions):

L W W D D L

Atalanta BC Serie A form:

D D D D L L

Atalanta BC form (all competitions):

D D D L W L

Team News

Napoli's woes were increased during the international window, as key midfielder Frank Anguissa sustained a serious thigh injury while with Cameroon and could be ruled out for two months.

Goalkeeper Alex Meret and Belgian veterans Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne are also sidelined, while Conte could be missing two more players this weekend.

Billy Gilmour and Leonardo Spinazzola were unable to feature for their country in World Cup qualifying; both may have to wait until Tuesday's Champions League game against Qarabag.

By contrast, Palladino has almost a full squad to select from, as only Giorgio Scalvini and long-term absentee Mitchel Bakker are unavailable for Atalanta.

Having hinted he is not keen to tinker with the Nerazzurri's tried-and-tested 3-4-2-1 formation, the visitors will line up in a familiar shape at Stadio Maradona.

While Ademola Lookman is set to start in the final third, it remains to be seen whether Nikola Krstovic or Gianlucca Scamacca will join the Nigeria international up front - neither has convinced as Mateo Retegui's replacement.

Napoli possible starting lineup:

Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Rrahmani, Buongiorno; Di Lorenzo, Lobotka, McTominay, Gutierrez; Politano, Hojlund, Neres

Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:

Carnesecchi; Kossounou, Hien, Djimsiti; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Zalewski; De Ketelaere, Lookman; Scamacca

We say: Napoli 1-1 Atalanta BC

Only an excellent home record has kept Napoli in the title picture so far, and the reigning champions will stay undefeated at their headquarters.

However, a distinct lack of rhythm has been apparent for most of the season, so Atalanta - unburdened by expectation - could claim a draw on Palladino's debut.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.