Preview: Napoli vs Lecce - prediction, team news, lineups

Far from certain of a vital top-four finish, Serie A champions Napoli will welcome lowly Lecce to Stadio Maradona on Saturday evening.

With their Scudetto defence effectively over, the Partenopei must stay ahead of several Champions League chasers; meanwhile, the visitors have inched away from the drop zone by producing their best spell of the season.

Match preview

Now a distant third place in the Serie A standings, Napoli have left both Milan clubs to battle for this year's Italian title, instead shifting focus to qualifying for next season's Champions League.

Antonio Conte's injury-struck squad may trail far behind league leaders Inter, but they hold a precious five-point advantage over fifth-placed Como with 10 rounds remaining.

Last week, the Scudetto holders produced their second 2-1 win on the spin, beating struggling Torino thanks to goals from ex-Toro man Eljif Elmas and rising star Alisson Santos.

So, Napoli will now aim to post three consecutive Serie A victories for the first time this year, while extending a long top-flight unbeaten streak on Neapolitan turf.

On 24 and counting, the Campanian club boast the best active streak of home games without defeat across Europe's top five leagues - albeit they lost to Chelsea in the Champions League and Como in the Coppa Italia.

Yet, before the southern sides' clash again this weekend, Napoli have only won one of their last four meetings with Lecce at the Maradona.

Following a 1-0 home defeat in October's reverse fixture, Lecce have failed to even find the net in their last five games against Napoli, losing each of the last three by that same scoreline.

Precedent may not be on their side, but recent form suggests the Salentini could cause an upset on Saturday, when their latest fight for top-flight survival will resume.

After prevailing in last week's crucial six-pointer against Cremonese - which came to a controversial climax, when Cremo were denied both a late goal and a penalty - Eusebio Di Francesco's team are clear of the drop zone.

Lecce have now won three of their last five league matches - as many wins as they recorded across the previous 17 - by virtue of starting to score more regularly.

Despite their precarious position, the Giallorossi actually occupy 12th place in Serie A's defensive ranking, but they had been lacking precision throughout the final third.

So, having climbed out of the bottom three at Cremonese's expense, they will be keen to avoid getting sucked straight back in - but a tough task awaits them in Naples.

Napoli Serie A form:

W W D L W W

Napoli form (all competitions):

W L D L W W

Lecce Serie A form:

L W W L L W

Team News

Napoli's long absence list had been beginning to clear, but Antonio Vergara has suffered a foot injury and could be ruled out of action until April.

Nonetheless, Conte can call upon fit-again midfielders Frank Anguissa and Kevin De Bruyne, while Scott McTominay may return to the bench.

Stanislav Lobotka is still doubtful due to a muscular issue, most probably joining David Neres, Amir Rrahmani and captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo on the sidelines.

After finding the net against Roma and Torino, Alisson has apparently caught the eye of Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti; he could now become the first player this century to score in his first three Serie A home appearances for the Partenopei.

Meanwhile, Lecce striker Nikola Stulic took his seasonal tally up to three league goals by converting a penalty last week, but each strike has come back at Stadio Via del Mare; once again, he must compete with Napoli-owned Walid Cheddira to start up front.

Medon Berisha, Francesco Camarda and Kialonda Gaspar are still unavailable for the visitors, while Antonino Gallo has sustained a muscular injury and may also miss out.

As a result, Irish defender Corrie Ndaba is on standby to deputise at left-back.

Napoli possible starting lineup:

Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Buongiorno, Olivera; Politano, Gilmour, Anguissa, Spinazzola; Elmas, Alisson; Hojlund

Lecce possible starting lineup:

Falcone; Veiga, Gabriel, Siebert, Ndaba; Coulibaly, Ramadani; Pierotti, Gandelman, Banda; Stulic

We say: Napoli 2-0 Lecce

Not the rock-solid side of last season, Napoli may have gone 10 games without a clean sheet, but they should shut out Lecce's timid attack.

Though the Salentini have enjoyed an upturn, their survival fight will take a blow at Stadio Maradona, where the hosts are welcoming some big names back from injury.

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