Seeking a second Scudetto in the space of three seasons, Napoli will continue their quest for another Serie A title when Torino visit Stadio Maradona on Sunday.
Locked on 71 points with Inter Milan heading into a packed day of top-flight action, the Partenopei take on mid-table Toro, who have little left to play for.
Match preview
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Though persistent rumours surround the future of head coach Antonio Conte - who has predictably fallen out with club president Aurelio de Laurentiis - Napoli are still vying with Inter for the Italian title.
One of Conte's main men has made all the difference in recent weeks, as the southern giants have pulled out of a slump that threatened to end dreams of a fourth Scudetto.
Days after bagging a brace against Empoli, Scott McTominay scored the only goal in last week's win over rock-bottom Monza, and six of the Scottish star's nine league strikes have arrived with the scoreline at 0-0.
One was the decider in December's reverse fixture, and he will target more goals against Torino this weekend, with only five games to go.
As Inter slipped up by losing to a stoppage-time strike in Bologna, the pair are now neck-and-neck, and should they finish that way after 38 matches, a dramatic playoff for first place would then be required.
So, under pressure to stay perfect until the end of the season, Napoli will now aim to post three straight Serie A wins for for the first time since January.
Unbeaten in 12 home games against this week's visitors, history suggests they should prevail again - but there are often sharp twists and turns at this late stage of a title race.
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As well as having such a dire recent record in Naples, Torino have lost six of their last eight league games against Napoli, home or away, failing to even score on five occasions.
Yet, more recently, they have been beaten only once in eight Serie A matches to boost hopes of claiming a top-half finish.
McTominay's Scotland colleague Che Adams struck the opener as Toro beat Udinese 2-0 on Wednesday, when they continued their unbeaten streak on home turf in 2025.
As a result, Paolo Vanoli's side sit 10th in the table, trailing ninth-placed AC Milan by eight points, meaning they are out of the mix for either demotion or European qualification.
In their last 10 away games, Torino have lost just twice, drawing six times along the way. So, with nothing much to lose on Sunday night, they may fancy their chance of causing an upset.
Team News
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While Juan Jesus is still missing, ex-Torino defender Alessandro Buongiorno has not been ruled out of featuring in Napoli's back four, though he is struggling to recover from an adductor injury.
So, having made a rare start in Monza, Rafa Marin may be asked to continue at the heart of the hosts' defence, alongside mainstay Amir Rrahmani. Alternatively, Mathias Olivera could move inside from left-back.
As David Neres is unavailable, either Leonardo Spinazzola or Giacomo Raspadori is set to feature on the left flank, supporting top scorer Romelu Lukaku. The latter has been directly involved in six goals in his last three games at the Maradona.
In the long-term absence of captain Duvan Zapata, Che Adams generally spearheads Torino's attack. Following his midweek goal, Adams has now scored as many times for the Granata as legendary compatriot Denis Law, with nine so far this season.
Ex-Napoli man Eljif Elmas, who netted 14 goals in 143 league appearances for the Partenopei, is also set to start, while centre-back Saul Coco returns from suspension. However, Gvidas Gineitis must now serve a one-match ban.
Ivan Ilic and Borna Sosa both picked up knocks against Udinese, joining Nikola Vlasic and Valentino Lazaro as fitness doubts for the long trip south.
Napoli possible starting lineup:
Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Marin, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka; Politano, McTominay, Spinazzola; Lukaku
Torino possible starting lineup:
Milinkovic-Savic; Walukiewicz, Maripan, Coco, Biraghi; Ricci, Linetty; Vlasic, Casadei, Elmas; Adams
We say: Napoli 1-0 Torino
Drilled by master tactician Antonio Conte, Napoli have conceded the fewest goals of any team throughout Europe's top five leagues (25), and they are well set to keep low-scoring Torino at arm's length.
While the Granata have clearly recovered from a mid-season slump, they will not match their hungry hosts' intensity at an expectant Stadio Maradona.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
