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

After suffering a setback in Europe, Italian champions Napoli return to Serie A duty on Monday evening, as they welcome promoted Pisa to Stadio Maradona.

Antonio Conte's side were beaten in their Champions League opener, ending a perfect start to the new season; meanwhile, their next visitors have only picked up one point.

Match preview

Less than midway through the first half, Napoli's hopes of beating Manchester City instantly faded, as they were reduced to 10 men when Giovanni Di Lorenzo was dismissed for a foul on Erling Haaland.

Effectively surrendering any pretence of going for victory, ex-City star Kevin De Bruyne was soon withdrawn and replaced by an extra defender - but the Partenopei could not hold out.

Haaland eventually broke through after half time, and Jeremy Doku's superb solo goal then consigned Conte's men to a 2-0 defeat, making it an unsuccessful return to the Champions League.

Nonetheless, the Scudetto holders still have a flawless domestic record so far, having seen off Fiorentina last week - when De Bruyne opened the scoring - after previously defeating Sassuolo and Cagliari.

Unbeaten in 15 league games dating back to February, Napoli have won six of their last seven at home - conceding only four goals - and they will head back to the Maradona on Monday.

While it remains to be seen if they can compete on multiple fronts this season, the Partenopei intend to retain their Serie A title, so slipping up at home to promoted Pisa is unthinkable.

Now travelling to Naples for the clubs' first top-flight clash there in 35 years, Pisa's last visit resulted in a 2-1 defeat, with one of the scorers being a certain Diego Maradona.

More than three decades on, Napoli's stadium now bears the Argentinian maestro's name, and faced by a fearsome home side, the Nerazzurri will surely head south more in hope than expectation.

Since returning to Serie A, they have only put one point on the board, while their sole strike so far was an Atalanta BC own goal.

After holding La Dea to an opening-day draw, Pisa have lost 1-0 to both Roma and Udinese, and their tough start to the fixture list now continues.

Following Thursday's Coppa Italia tie against Torino, Alberto Gilardino's side will meet Fiorentina for a fierce Tuscan derby, but first the reigning champions await.

Napoli Serie A form:

W W W

Napoli form (all competitions):

W W W L

Pisa Serie A form:

D L L

Pisa form (all competitions):

W D L L

Team News

Having named an unchanged team in England, it remains to be seen if Conte will alter his starting XI on Monday, when first-choice goalkeeper Alex Meret should be fit enough to start.

Meret must displace Vanja Milinkovic-Savic - who made several saves at the Etihad - while ex-Pisa striker Lorenzo Lucca will try to usurp Rasmus Hojlund in attack.

Fellow striker Romelu Lukaku is sidelined with a serious thigh injury, but centre-back Amir Rrahmani has now recovered from a hamstring issue.

After his disappointing return to Manchester, Kevin De Bruyne will be keen to impress, while captain Di Lorenzo seeks redemption for his costly red card.

Pisa should have an almost full squad to choose from, as veteran wing-back Juan Cuadrado has returned from a muscle strain and could be named on the bench; only Calvin Stengs is set to miss out.

Like Conte, Gilardino has an attacking quandary to resolve, as none of his players have scored this season - not just in Serie A, but penalties were required to progress in the Coppa Italia, after a goalless draw with Cesena.

So, Henrik Meister or Stefano Moreo may make way, with Angola striker M'Bala Nzola pushing for his first start.

Napoli possible starting lineup:

Meret; Di Lorenzo, Beukema, Jesus, Olivera; Gilmour; Politano, Anguissa, De Bruyne, McTominay; Hojlund

Pisa possible starting lineup:

Semper; Canestrelli, Caracciolo, Bonfanti; Toure, Aebischer, Marin, Angori; Moreo, Tramoni; Nzola