Preview: Napoli vs AC Milan - prediction, team news, lineups

Fighting it out for second spot in Serie A, Calcio giants Napoli and AC Milan will clash at Stadio Maradona on Monday evening.

Separated by just one point, neither side has entirely given up on snatching the Scudetto, though defeat would end any hope of overhauling Inter Milan.

Match preview

Having endured a miserable start to 2026, Napoli roared back into form just before international football stepped in, winning four consecutive Serie A matches for the first time since September.

After crashing out of Europe and seeing their title defence falter, the Partenopei seem to be steadying the ship ahead of the run-in.

Last time out, a 1-0 win in Cagliari brought their first clean sheet in 11 attempts - not characteristic of an Antonio Conte side - and moved them to within seven points of stalling league leaders Inter.

Even if they are not totally out of the Scudetto race, Conte's men are also glancing over their shoulders at fellow Champions League challengers Como, Roma and Juventus.

Napoli hold an eight-point advantage over fifth-placed Juve with eight rounds remaining, but Conte will surely take nothing for granted.

Before Milan pay a visit on Monday, his team are still unbeaten in Serie A home matches this season - in fact, that undefeated streak dates back to December 2024.

With 10 wins from 14 at the Maradona so far, only champions-elect Inter have earned more points on home turf, and they recently beat Milan en route to lifting the Supercoppa Italiana.

However, it was the Rossoneri who came out on top in September's reverse fixture, and they have lost on just one of their last six visits to Naples.

Most memorably, Milan inflicted Napoli's heaviest Serie A home defeat of the past 25 years - a 4-0 thumping in April 2023 - and also knocked them out of the Champions League that same spring.

By contrast, Max Allegri's men have not been involved in any European competition this season, perhaps aiding their unexpected push for the Italian title.

After beating Torino 3-2 at San Siro before the break, they sat second in the table, trailing city rivals Inter by a reduced tally of six points.

Last month's derby success re-opened the Scudetto race, but Milan may need to be flawless between now and the end of May: while they have only suffered three league defeats this season, two have come within their last five matches.

With nine wins on their travels, only Inter have scored more often or picked up more points on the road, and Allegri's well-drilled side have also conceded the fewest away goals.

Yet, Monday's assignment in Campania is as tough as they come, and Allegri has won just three of 11 previous contests with Conte.

Napoli Serie A form:

D L W W W W

AC Milan Serie A form:

D L W W L W

Team News

Though two weeks have passed, Napoli are still missing Romelu Lukaku, David Neres, Amir Rrahmani, Antonio Vergara and captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo due to injury, although several stars returned to action before the break.

Since Kevin De Bruyne's return, the Partenopei have a perfect record; without him, their win rate had dropped by 25%. Including a penalty in the reverse fixture against Milan, the Belgian playmaker has scored 99 goals in Europe's top five leagues, so he needs just one more for his century.

Meanwhile, Scott McTominay is one goal involvement away from hitting 50 across the Premier League and Serie A, after scoring the winner against Cagliari last time out.

With Lukaku sidelined, Rasmus Hojlund continues to lead the hosts' attack, while Milan could pair their main marksmen up front: Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic have scored nine and eight league goals respectively.

However, Christopher Nkunku, Niclas Fullkrug and fit-again Mexico striker Santiago Gimenez are all in contention too.

As Ruben Loftus-Cheek has now recovered from a serious facial injury, only Matteo Gabbia is still unavailable; starting behind a familiar 3-5-2, captain Mike Maignan is set to make his 150th appearance in Serie A.

Napoli possible starting lineup:

Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Buongiorno, Jesus; Politano, Anguissa, Lobotka, Spinazzola; McTominay, De Bruyne; Hojlund

AC Milan possible starting lineup:

Maignan; Tomori, De Winter, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Fofana, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Pulisic, Leao

We say: Napoli 2-1 AC Milan

Whatever happens in Naples, this game will not be decided until the final whistle: Milan (14) and Napoli (12) have gained the most points from losing positions in Serie A so far.

Most often, those comebacks have taken place within the final 15 minutes, so a late winner could decide this crucial encounter - Napoli's superb home record suggests they should edge it.

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