Napoli's Scudetto bid is unraveling at the worst possible time
Saturday's key Serie A title clash with Inter Milan couldn't have come at a worse time for Napoli as the former league leaders struggle through their worst form of the season.
Trailing Inter by a point after conceding top spot in limp fashion at Como last weekend, Napoli host Inter in Naples without a win in February and looking over their shoulders at dark horses Atalanta.
Napoli, who gave up a league lead they had held since late September with their 2-1 lakeside defeat, have picked up just three points this month and have developed a worrying tendency to throw away points from winning positions.
Conte described his team's performance at Como as "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" after a dire second-half display which led to Napoli's fourth match in a row without a win and a defeat which allowed Inter to sneak up to the summit.
"In the three previous matches, we were also pegged back. We couldn't take the strain mentally," an exasperated Conte told reporters.
"We've found ourselves under pressure right from the beginning, due to what we've achieved. We'll find out whether we're strong enough to withstand that pressure.
"It's disappointing because you can lose a match tactically, but it's not acceptable to have less desire than your opposition."
Conte is still waiting for David Neres to return and is also set to start Bournemouth loanee Philip Billing again in midfield after a decent debut at Como, with Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa struggling with a calf injury.
Inter, meanwhile, should welcome back Marcus Thuram to their attack after the France forward returned to team training following his recovery from an ankle injury.
And with Napoli flagging, Saturday's match is a great chance to create a buffer at the top of the division before their two clashes with Feyenoord in the last 16 of the Champions League.
Inter can't discount Atalanta from the Scudetto equation, with the provincial side only three points back in third and hosting lowly Venezia right before the weekend's big match at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Simone Inzaghi's team travel to Bergamo after their home leg against Feyenoord next month for another key match in their bid to become the first team to retain the Scudetto since Juventus in 2020.
Inter's local rivals AC Milan face a pivotal week as they first play their game in hand at Bologna on Thursday before taking on Lazio at the San Siro Sunday night.
Sergio Conceicao's team are eight points behind fourth-placed Juventus, who host Verona on Monday, and realistically need six points from those two fixtures if they're to have any hope of claiming a Champions League spot.
Player to watch: Ademola Lookman
Lookman will be key to Atalanta's bid for a surprise Scudetto even as the Nigeria attacker eyes the exit door at the end of the season following his bizarre penalty row with coach Gian Piero Gasperini.
The 27-year-old showed all his class last weekend with two brilliant strikes in a five-goal mauling of Empoli, taking his tally for the season to 17 in all competitions.
But Lookman, who pushed for a move to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer and was left out of the team at the start of the season, was clearly still irritated by Gasperini's comment that he was the worst penalty taker he had ever seen following his missed spot-kick against Club Brugge last week.
Gasperini has already said that he won't renew his contract beyond 2026 and he may not even be around next season, so now is the best chance for the both of them to win an unprecedented league title for the traditionally tiny club.
Key stats
3: Just three points separate Inter, Napoli and Atalanta.
4: Napoli have failed to win in four matches.
Fixtures
Friday
- Fiorentina vs. Lecce
Saturday
- Atalanta vs. Venezia
- Napoli vs. Inter Milan
- Udinese vs. Parma
Sunday
- Monza vs. Torino
- Bologna vs. Cagliari
- Genoa vs. Empoli
- Roma vs. Como
- AC Milan vs. Lazio
Monday
- Juventus vs. Verona