Napoli and Fiorentina will be looking to boost their chances of qualifying for the Champions League when they meet at Stadio San Paolo this weekend.
A win for either side would help put pressure on Lazio and Roma, but they both come into the match after being knocked out of the Coppa Italia in midweek.
Napoli
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In the last six weeks, a promising season has turned into nothing short of a disaster for Napoli.
They were firm favourites to finish inside the top three and land a place a place in the Champions League, but a five-game winless run has seen them slip down to sixth in the Serie A table.
It is not just their league form that has suffered, as this week they were dumped out of the Coppa Italia following a late defeat in their semi-final against Lazio.
They still have the chance of winning a trophy this season, but with Wolfsburg to play in the quarter-finals of the Europa League they are by no means certain of progressing further in the tournament.
Their poor run of form has led to fevered speculation that Rafael Benitez will leave the club at the end of the season, and with the Spaniard out of contract in the summer a parting of ways seems increasingly likely.
Recent form in Serie A: WLDLDL
Recent form (all competitions): WLDDLL
Fiorentina
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Fiorentina have been in far better form than Napoli, but they will also head into Sunday's match following a crushing cup defeat.
They had gone into the second leg of their Coppa Italia last-four meeting with Juventus as the favourites to reach the final after an impressive 2-1 victory in Turin.
However, they were left stunned as the Bianconeri played them off the pitch and ran out 3-0 winners. It was a cruel blow for Vincenzo Montella's side, but there is still plenty for them to play for in the remaining weeks of the season.
A fine run of form in the league since the turn of the year has seen them rise up to fourth in the table and it has left them six points away from the final Champions League spot.
If they don't manage to reach the tournament through their league position, then they could qualify by winning the Europa League and hopes are high that they can go all the way, with the first leg of their quarter-final tie against Dyanmo Kiev to come next week.
Recent form in Serie A: DWLWDW
Recent form (all competitions): DWWDWL
Team News
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Long-term absentee Michu is the only player missing for Napoli, so Benitez could make a number of changes to his starting lineup following their cup exit.
Jose Callejon will be pushing for a start in the trio of attackers behind Gonzalo Higuain, while David Lopez may take Walter Gargano's spot in the midfield.
Italy international Lorenzo Insigne is also an option, but he has only recently returned from a cruciate ligament injury and has not started in over five months.
Fiorentina also have no fresh injury problems and Giuseppe Rossi is back in training following a long spell on the sidelines, although the club will not rush him back to action too soon.
The main decision for Montella seems to be who he will start up front, with Mario Gomez and Khouma Babacar both in contention to lead the attack.
Mohamed Salah looks almost certain to play and he has scored an impressive seven goals in 12 games for the club since his loan move from Chelsea.
Napoli possible starting lineup:
Andujar, Maggio, Albiol, Koulibaly, Ghoulam, Inler, David Lopez, Callejon, Gabbiadini, Hamsik, Higuain
Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
Neto, Tomovic, Savic, Rodriguez, Pasqual, Kurtic, Badelj, Fernandez, Diamanti, Salah, Gomez
Head To Head
Napoli came out on top when these teams met in November, as a strike from Higuain was enough to earn his side a 1-0 victory in Florence.
The Azzurri have a very good recent record against the Viola, with only one defeat in their previous 10 meetings, although that did come last season when a late goal from Joaquin settled the contest.
Despite the lack of action in those two games, these teams are among the top scorers in this season's Serie A and they have bagged 90 goals between them.
We say: Napoli 1-1 Fiorentina
With such disappointing results in the cup this week, both teams will be looking to bounce back with a win. Three points could be crucial to their hopes of Champions League qualification at the end of the season and it should be a closely-fought game. Fiorentina are in better form and have beaten Roma and Juventus away from home in recent weeks, so we think that they will pick up another good result here with the game finishing in a draw.
Alex Meyers
