Lecce – Napoli

Napoli should redeem themselves for last week’s defeat

Napoli produced one of the most sensational results of the last round. This time, however, it was in a negative context. The Scudetto holders lost 0-4 at home to Milan. This was their second defeat in the last five meetings. Before that, Luciano Spalletti's men lost narrowly to Lazio. The Neapolitans conceded twice to Leao and once to Dias and Salemakers. The team looked rather inert and lacklustre, but this result is unlikely to do them any harm. Napoli have a 16-point lead over second place with ten rounds to go. The results against Lazio and Milan should remind Spalletti's side that the championship is not yet over. Despite the obvious favouritism, the Partenopei certainly cannot be complacent. Lecce suffered their fifth successive defeat. Interestingly, at this stage, the team have not even scored once. And if some of the results (losing to Sassuolo or Torino) can be called partly unfair, the latter outcome is not. Last year, the Giallorossi faced league neighbour Empoli. Interestingly, prior to the game, the Tuscan side had a similar four-match losing streak. "Wolves suffered a minimal defeat following Caputo's goal. Unlike their opponents, Marco Baroni's men didn't show initiative. Although Lecce's league position is not ideal, they are not taking any action to rectify it. The root of the Giallorossi's problem lies in their rather mediocre squad. Nevertheless, there is a chance that the team can hold out and stay in Serie A even with such blatantly weak play. In five days' time, Napoli will play their first leg of the Champions League quarter-final against AC Milan. However, a long break between meetings and a long journey will hardly have any impact on the preparations for the meeting. Luciano Spalletti will not be able to count on Victor Osimhen, but, unlike against the Rossoneri, that should not be a major problem. "The Azzurri need satisfaction after a disappointing game. Lecce are likely to record another defeat.