Roma travel to Naples on Saturday afternoon to face Rafa Benitez’s Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo to kick off match day ten of the Serie A season in what is a mouth watering affair.
With midweek fixtures played and European commitments next week, both sides could be forgiven for taking their eye off the Serie A ball on Saturday but that kind of attitude looks unlikely in what will prove to be a tense affair both on and off the pitch.
In what has already been an up and down couple of weeks, Roma currently sit level on points with Juventus at the top of Serie A after goals from Mattia Destro and Daniele De Rossi handed the Lupi a 2-0 victory over Cesena at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday night.
If Roma’s season can be described as up and down then Napoli’s has been a rollercoaster. Last weekend Benitez and his under fire side looked to get back on track as they came from a goal down to demolish Hellas Verona 6-2.
A particular highlight from this was Gonzalo Higuain’s hat trick, his first goals in the league this term.
It all came caving in again on Wednesday though in what has been the story of Napoli’s stuttering start to the campaign. With five minutes to go against Atalanta, Higuain scored and then stepped up for a penalty against the ten men of the home side.
The Argentinian missed and Napoli had to make do with a point. Even their player of the season to this point, Jose Callejon, missed a glorious chance from barely a yard out.
The teams finished with a win a piece last term as Roma, dictated by Miralem Pjanic, scored a 2-0 victory in the capital but lost 1-0 to Napoli the last time they played each other.
Pjanic has hit his form once again in the Roma jersey and will be looking to get the better of his off colour midfield counterpart Marek Hamsik when the two sides face up this weekend.
With no real fresh injury worries coming into this vital home clash, Higuain and Callejon will look to put Wednesday’s negatives behind them and concentrate on putting Roma to the sword.
Rudi Garcia has a few selection headaches ahead of Saturday’s clash with his team looking comfortable without looking spectacular against Cesena.
Mattia Destro has found his goalscoring form so Garcia may keep him in the starting lineup ahead of Francesco Totti with a trip to Bavaria in mind.
Davide Astori went off injured midweek with Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa likely to deputise. Lukasz Skorupski may keep his place ahead of Morgan De Sanctis whilst Kostas Manolas will need a fitness test.
Expected Starting XIs
Napoli: Cabral, Maggio, Albiol, Koulibaly, Ghoulam, Inler, Lopez, Callejon, Hamsik, Mertens, Higuain
Roma: Skorupski, Torosidis, Manolas, Yanga-Mbiwa, Cole, Nainggolan, De Rossi, Pjanic, Gervinho, Destro, Iturbe
