Napoli vs Empoli

Stadio Diego Armando Maradona sets the stage for a high-stakes Serie A showdown between title hopefuls Napoli and relegation-threatened Empoli.

Napoli squandered another chance to close the gap to table-topping Inter Milan with a 1-1 draw at Bologna, dropping points for the seventh time in the last nine Serie A rounds (W2, D6, L1). Ominously, no team across Europe’s top-five leagues has drawn more games than Napoli in that sequence, with Antonio Conte’s side wasting the lead on four occasions. With six points separating them from Inter ahead of the kick-off, ‘I Partenopei’ must avoid another slip-up against an Empoli side they’ve lost to twice in their last three meetings on this ground (W1). As if that’s not troubling enough, Conte’s charges have gone five consecutive home games without a clean sheet (W3, D2). Confidence comes from a 1-0 win in October’s reverse fixture, forming part of Napoli’s imperious run of shutting out bottom-four teams in every game this term.

On the other hand, Empoli’s hopes of securing a fifth consecutive Serie A campaign are hanging by a thread as they head into proceedings amid the club’s joint-longest winless run in the top flight (D5, L11). Two points adrift of safety, Roberto D’Aversa’s charges must defy a notorious trend of going winless in all ten league matches against current top-six teams this season (D3, L7). However, that could be easier said than done, considering D’Aversa has lost seven of his nine managerial clashes against Napoli (W2). On a positive note, the visitors have conceded an average of 0.66 goals per game across their last three Serie A road trips, highlighting the potential for a sturdy defensive performance.