Serie A Preview: Monza vs Napoli – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Stadio Brianteo forms the backdrop for Saturday’s ‘make or break’ Serie A encounter between basement boys Monza and runners-up Napoli. Three points are imperative for both teams, as anything less could put a final nail in the coffin of their season dreams.

Monza’s three-year top-flight stay is under imminent threat. Last weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Venezia in a proverbial ‘relegation six-pointer’ left Alessandro Nesta’s charges at the foot of the table. With six games left, a substantial 11-point deficit to 17th-placed looks unbridgeable for the worst-performing team in Serie A.

However, Monza won’t go down without a fight, even though they must punch above their weight to keep their slim chances of avoiding the drop alive. Napoli’s visit, though ominous-looking, could reignite the home side’s late survival push if they can bounce back from two consecutive defeats against the Partenopei.

Reluctant to let that happen, Antonio Conte’s men head into proceedings in high spirits after a 3-0 rout of bottom-half Empoli on Monday saw them restore a three-point gap to pacesetters Inter. There’s no margin for error down the final stretch as Conte bids to upset his former employers and lead the southern giants to only their fourth top-flight title.

The visitors have a favorable run-in on paper, with their remaining six league fixtures coming against teams starting this round tenth or worse. Yet, the Scudetto fate remains entirely in Inter’s hands, with Napoli forced to hold up their end of the bargain and hope for the best.

Match Preview

Monza

Monza cannot catch a break this season. It’s hard to escape the supposition that a substandard tally of two wins from 32 league games is unworthy of a top-flight status. An elusive third victory since beating Fiorentina on this ground in January looks improbable, not least because of Monza’s dreadful run of 12 consecutive winless matches (D2, L10).

However, the downtrodden hosts may have their say in an intense Scudetto battle, considering they’ve fared impressively against Serie A’s heavy hitters at Brianteo. Indeed, Nesta’s lads have gone unbeaten in half of their six home clashes against current top-eight sides this term (W1, D2, L3), including a brace of 1-1 draws against Inter and Roma.

Unfortunately, those stalemates form part of Monza’s sobering run of just one win from 20 Serie A home fixtures since the start of April 2024 (D6, L13). That sequence includes a 4-2 defeat to upcoming rivals Napoli a year ago, which preceded a comfortable 2-0 loss in this season’s reverse fixture in Naples.

Napoli

Defensive solidity has been the backbone of Napoli’s renaissance under Conte, with the Partenopei excelling against the division’s strugglers. For context, they have kept a clean sheet in seven of their eight league matches against current bottom-six sides this season, highlighting the potential for a much-needed shutout.

Yet, another sturdy defensive performance may not necessarily guarantee three points if a gut-wrenching 0-0 draw at 19th-placed Venezia a month ago was anything to go by. Adding to this sentiment, Napoli head into this must-win showdown amid an unimpressive five-game winless away streak in Serie A (D4, L1), netting under 1.5 goals on four occasions.

Despite those setbacks, Napoli should make this long journey north in a buoyant mood as one of only three teams to have picked up 30+ points on their Serie A travels this term. Furthermore, they’ve been phenomenal in overturning deficits, boasting the best points-per-game record of 1.4 when conceding first away from home.

Team News

Injuries to star forward Keita Balde and veteran defender Danilo D’Ambrosio came at the worst possible moment for Monza. In addition, Nesta cannot call upon standout midfielder Matteo Pessina and experienced center-back Armando Izzo, with Gaetano Castrovilli’s match fitness still questionable.

On the other hand, Napoli will be without first-choice defender Alessandro Buongiorno and backup option Juan Jesus. Therefore, Conte will likely rely on ex-Real Madrid starlet Rafa Marin to fill the void in defense while trusting Romelu Lukaku and Scott McTominay to replicate their Empoli heroics on the opposite end. David Neres picked up a late muscular injury and won’t be involved, with Giacomo Raspadori likely stepping in.

Monza vs Napoli Potential Starting Line-ups

Monza (3-5-2): Turati; Pereira, Caldirola, Carboni; Birindelli, Ciurria, Bianco, Akpa Akpro, Kyriakopoulos; Mota, Caprari.

Napoli (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Marin, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka, McTominay; Politano, Lukaku, Raspadori.

Monza vs Napoli Prediction

Though probably beyond salvation, Monza could still give Napoli a run for their money. However, the visitors’ sheer firepower should make the difference in Lombardy, with the Partenopei likely to confirm the inevitable and condemn their hosts to relegation with an all-important win.