Napoli will be looking to bounce back from a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Frosinone in the Coppa Italia when they return to Serie A action against Roma this weekend.
The two sides are separated by only a couple of points ahead of Saturday’s Derby del Sole, with fifth-placed Napoli leading eighth-placed Roma in the standings.
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Can the reigning champions widen the gap? Or will Jose Mourinho’s men rise to the occasion at the Stadio Olimpico?
Roma suffered a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Bologna last weekend, with Rasmus Kristensen’s second-half own goal compounding the visitors’ problems.
That loss ended a six-game unbeaten streak across all competitions for Mourinho’s side, who picked up three wins and three draws in the lead-up to last weekend’s failure.
Still, Roma can take confidence from their impressive home record, as they have lost just one of their 11 matches at the Stadio Olimpico this season.
Having won eight of their previous nine home games – scoring over 1.5 goals on seven occasions – Mourinho’s men will back themselves to pick up a positive result on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Napoli were thrashed 4-0 by Frosinone on Tuesday, conceding all four goals after the 65-minute mark to crash out of the Coppa Italia.
Napoli have now lost five of their last eight matches across all competitions, with three defeats coming in their previous five Serie A encounters.
Last season, the champions lost only four of their 38 games en route to lifting the trophy, but they have already suffered five defeats in 16 matches this term.
Trailing table-topping Inter Milan by 14 points, Napoli appear to be out of the title race before Christmas, leaving manager Walter Mazzarri fighting for his job.
Head-to-head: Napoli did the double over Roma last season, winning 1-0 at the Stadio Olimpico before securing a 2-1 victory on home soil.
In terms of the bigger picture, Napoli have avoided defeat in each of their last seven Serie A meetings with Roma, notching five wins along the way.
Team news: Roma are currently without the injured quintet of Chris Smalling, Houssem Aouar, Marash Kumbulla, Paulo Dybala and Tammy Abraham.
As for Napoli, Eljif Elmas and Mathias Olivera will miss Saturday’s clash due to injury, while Frank Anguissa and Piotr Zielinksi are doubts.
When you couple Roma’s strong home record with Napoli’s poor form, all the signs point towards a win for Mourinho’s men this weekend.
Forebet predicts that both teams will score at the Stadio Olimpico. However, Roma are expected to outscore Napoli on their way to victory.