Stadio Via del Mare forms the backdrop for a lopsided Serie A showdown between bottom-half Lecce and runaway leaders Napoli. Friday’s trip to fellow southern rivals will be a final rehearsal ahead of the Partenopei’s Champions League quarter-final tie against Milan next week.
A small fire in the locker rooms forced the delay of Lecce’s away encounter against Empoli on Monday, which they eventually lost 1-0, courtesy of Francesco Caputo’s penalty midway through the second half. The underwhelming result in Tuscany marked the Giallorossi’s fifth Serie A defeat on the trot, moving them ever closer to the dreaded relegation scrap.
What’s even more concerning for under-pressure boss Marco Baroni is that his men failed to score in each of those five matches. After not mustering a single shot on target against Empoli, Lecce will need a miracle to overcome the league’s second-best defense and find their first Serie A goal since mid-February.
Napoli had the best defensive record in Italy’s top-flight before slumping to an embarrassing 4-0 home loss to reigning champions Milan last weekend. However, with only Lazio (19) conceding fewer Serie A goals than the Partenopei this term (20), Luciano Spalletti’s side should still feel confident about shutting out the division’s fourth-worst attack.
Despite the abovementioned setback against Milan, the visitors are still firmly on course to lift their first Scudetto since 1990. As a whopping 16 points separate them from second-placed Lazio ahead of this round, Napoli can afford to rest their first-team stalwarts, but there’s no doubt they’ll be gunning for all three points, no matter the lineup.
Match Preview
Lecce
Only three bottom-placed teams have netted fewer Serie A goals than Lecce (24) this season, which speaks volumes of Baroni’s defensive-minded approach. Against this backdrop, his men have found the net in their last three top-flight meetings with Napoli, including a stunning 1-1 in the reverse fixture in August. That could inspire their bid to break a frustrating scoring drought against the odds.
Although they come into proceedings winless in their last five home league outings (D2, L3), Lecce’s most recent win at Via del Mare saw them beat non-other than Lazio at the turn of the year. On top of that, their two draws during that five-game stretch came against Milan and Roma, showing they’re no strangers to upsetting the odds on home turf.
Player to Watch: Lorenzo Colombo
Despite failing to convert a penalty in the reverse fixture, Lorenzo Colombo bagged an outrageous equalizer and was Lecce’s standout performer in Naples. His scoring prowess came to light during the international break as he notched two goals for Italy U21s.
Napoli
Since succumbing to a 1-0 loss at Inter on their first Serie A travel of 2023, high-flying Napoli have gone into overdrive, stringing together seven consecutive away wins in all competitions. It’s not just about winning. Each of Napoli’s seven competitive away victories in 2023 has come by 2+ goals ‘to nil,’ highlighting their unparalleled strength on the road.
Furthermore, Napoli have been Serie A’s best away team by some margin this term, racking up 38 points across 14 league travels (W12, D1, L1), at least nine more than any other side. Therefore, it takes no rocket science to assume the Partenopei will be in a pole position to extend their winning league streak at Via del Mare to three on their first visit to this venue since 2019.
Player to Watch: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
After having a frustrating game against Milan, standout winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will be under the spotlight. The 22-year-old will be looking to maintain his free-scoring form on hostile turf, having netted in three of his last four Serie A appearances outside the Diego Maradona Stadium.
Team News
Wolfsburg loanee Marin Pongracic and his fellow defensive colleague Kastriot Dermaku may have to remain on the sidelines for this fixture due to minor injury problems. But Lecce will have the remainder of the squad fit and ready.
As for Napoli, star striker Victor Osimhen is still in the treatment room with a thigh problem. But other than the Nigerian frontman, Spalletti has the rest of his team available for selection.
Lecce vs Napoli Potential Lineups
Lecce (4-3-3): Wladimiro Falcone; Valenting Gendery, Federico Baschirotto, Alessandro Tuia, Giuseppe Pezzella; Joan Gonzalez, Alexis Blin, Morten Hjulmand; Lameck Banda, Gabriel Strefezza, Lorenzo Colombo.
Napoli (4-3-3): Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Kim Min-Jae, Amir Rrahmani, Mario Rui; Stanislav Lobotka, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Piotr Zielinski; Elif Elmas, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Giovanni Simeone.
Lecce vs Napoli Prediction
There’s a substantial gulf in class between these two sides, and Napoli should effortlessly take home all three points. But Lecce’s impressive home results against Serie A big guns in 2023 could still make this a tricky task for the visitors. Nonetheless, we back Spalletti’s men to return to winning ways.
Prediction: Napoli Win
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