Monza makes trip to red-hot Napoli.
Napoli, riding high after a 5-0 Coppa Italia triumph, aim to continue their strong Serie A form against a winless Monza side desperate for a breakthrough under new manager Alessandro Nesta.
Napoli
Napoli were in action on Thursday, picking up a 5-0 win over Palermo to advance into the Coppa Italia round of 16. An early brace from Cyril Ngonge (7', 12') set the tone before Juan Jesus (42'), David Neres (70'), and Scott McTominay (77') added goals, setting up a date with Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico in December.
“We're building solid foundations with players who have injected fresh energy. It's been two and a half months since our pre-season training camp, and I'm sure the work is paying off,” said Antonio Conte, who made significant changes to his starting lineup.
Back in the league, the Blues extended their unbeaten run to four matches (LWWWD) with a hard-fought goalless draw away at Juventus, leaving them in 2nd place with 10 points (3W, 1D, & 1L), one behind league leaders Torino. Next in line for Conte's men is a home game against Monza, and a win in this match would take them to 13 points, a tally they have reached six times in the last eight seasons after six matches, more than any other team in that period.
The Blues have won and scored exactly four goals in two of their four Serie A meetings with Sunday's opposition. However, they have drawn and lost in the other two without scoring (2W, 1D, & 1L). Having won the opening two league matches on home soil this season, Conte could become the sixth Blues manager to win his first three Serie A home matches for the club.
A 4-3-3 with Matteo Politano, Romelu Lukaku, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in attack is expected to be seen against Monza on Sunday. Meanwhile, Alex Meret, who is sidelined with a muscle injury, is the only absentee for the home side.
Monza
Monza picked up a 3-1 victory over Brescia on Thursday in the Coppa Italia second round. In Serie A, Monza has endured a poor start to this campaign, remaining one of the two teams without a win in the league so far (0W, 3D, & 2L).
Alessandro Nesta, who was brought in to replace Raffaele Palladino before the season started, is well aware of the pressure to turn things around. "The Serie A standings? I don't look at it also because I know very well that I have to win some games; we need nastiness, which we've had at times and not at others," Nesta said after the win over Brescia.
A 3–4–2–1 formation with Milan Đurić in attack is expected from the former Italian defender against Napoli.
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