Napoli will look to tighten their grip on the Serie A summit when they host relegation-threatened Lecce at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Saturday afternoon. The league leaders aim to secure their fourth consecutive victory, while the visitors hope to bounce back from a humiliating 6-0 defeat last weekend.
Antonio Conte’s Napoli side have made an impressive start to the 2024/25 campaign, accumulating 19 points from their opening 8 matches. This represents their fourth-best tally this century at this stage of a season. The Partenopei currently hold a two-point lead at the top of the table and are benefiting from midweek breaks while their rivals compete in European competitions.
Napoli’s recent form has been particularly impressive, keeping clean sheets in four of their last five league matches with an aggregate score of 10-1 in their favor. Since the beginning of September, only Juventus can match their defensive record in Serie A.
Interestingly, Napoli have achieved success without dominating possession. They are the only leading club in Europe’s top five leagues to rank outside the top three for average possession, sitting 11th in Serie A with just 47% of the ball. However, their counter-attacking prowess has proven devastatingly effective.
In stark contrast, Lecce find themselves in dire straits, occupying 19th place with a mere five points from eight matches. Their 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Fiorentina last weekend has left manager Luca Gotti’s position hanging by a thread.
The Salentini have struggled at both ends of the pitch, scoring the fewest goals (3) of any side across Europe’s top five leagues while conceding 18. Only Montpellier in Ligue 1 have a worse goal difference than Lecce’s -15.
Despite their current woes, Lecce can take some solace from their recent record at the Stadio Maradona. They are undefeated in their last three league visits to Naples, although they have failed to score in their two most recent meetings with Napoli overall.
The match could well be decided by Napoli’s ability to exploit space on the counter-attack against a Lecce side that has struggled to maintain its shape defensively. The pace and creativity of Kvaratskhelia combined with Lukaku’s physicality and finishing could prove too much for the visitors to handle.
Lecce will need to find a way to shore up their backline while also posing an attacking threat – a difficult balancing act given their struggles in front of goal this season.
Team News
Napoli will likely be without midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, who is recovering from a thigh strain sustained on international duty. Billy Gilmour is expected to deputize in midfield, despite criticism from Conte regarding his first-half performance last week. There are question marks over the availability of first-choice goalkeeper Alex Meret, who has recently returned to training.
In attack, the prolific partnership of Romelu Lukaku and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will look to exploit Lecce’s fragile defense. Lukaku is on the verge of reaching 100 goal involvements in Serie A (currently on 73 goals and 26 assists), while Kvaratskhelia ranks second for most shots from outside the box this season (12).
Lecce will be without suspended left-back Antonino Gallo following his red card last weekend. This could see Danish winger Patrick Dorgu drop back into defense, potentially opening up an attacking spot for either Lameck Banda or Tete Morente. The visitors will be relying heavily on striker Nikola Krstovic, who leads Serie A in total shot attempts (35) but has only managed to convert two goals thus far.
Expected Starting XIs
Napoli: Caprile; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Buongiorno, Olivera; Anguissa, Gilmour; Politano, McTominay, Kvaratskhelia; Lukaku
Lecce: Falcone; Guilbert, Gaspar, Baschirotto, Dorgu; Ramadani, Pierret; Banda, Oudin, Rebic; Krstovic
Match Prediction
Given the vast disparity in form and quality between the two sides, it’s difficult to see past a comfortable Napoli victory. The hosts’ defensive solidity coupled with their potent attack should prove too much for a Lecce side low on confidence.
This result would see Napoli maintain their position at the top of Serie A while potentially condemning Lecce to bottom spot in the standings, depending on other results. For the visitors, the focus will quickly shift to next week’s crucial relegation six-pointer against Hellas Verona.
Prediction: Napoli 3-0 Lecce
