A last-gasp defeat away at Juventus last weekend saw Napoli cede Serie A's top spot to the defending champions. However, Juve's failure to beat Bologna this weekend means a win over AC Milan on Monday would move Maurizio Sarri's side back to the summit of the table, a point clear of their Piedmontese rivals. Given that Napoli have won all but two of their league games at the Stadio San Paolo since May, they should be confident of their chances.
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Napoli will look to move back to the top of the Serie A table with a win over Milan on Monday.
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However, that doesn’t mean they can afford to get complacent: they’re coming up against one of the league’s most in form outfits. After a disappointing start to his AC Milan coaching career, Siniša Mihajlović hasn’t seen his side lose since their first match of the calendar year. They’re still down in sixth place, but momentum alone should be enough to ensure they’re able to give Napoli a game.
Key player: Gonzalo Higuaín (Napoli)
There's no doubting that striker Higuaín has been Napoli's star player this season, with the Argentine international having scored a remarkable 24 goals in 25 league appearances. He's already scored more goals than he ever did in a league season at Real Madrid, and we're not long past the halfway point. It'd almost be a surprise if he didn't add to his tally at the San Paolo on Monday.
Recent history
Napoli have won four of their last five matches against Milan, and cruised to a 3-0 victory when these sides last met at the San Paolo back in May. They’re clearly a much stronger team than the Rossoneri, and will be expecting it to show. You have to go all the way back to 2010 for the last time Milan won away in Naples, when an Ezequiel Lavezzi consolation wasn’t enough to overturn goals from Robinho and Zlatan Ibrahimović. How times change.
Napoli injuries and suspensions
Out: None. In doubt: Alberto Grassi.
AC Milan injuries and suspensions
Out: Diego López, Rodrigo Ely, Juraj Kucka (injured). In doubt: Alessio Romagnoli.
Napoli coach Sarri will be able to field his strongest lineup: Napoli's only injury concern is youngster Grassi, who picked up a knee injury in his first session after arriving from Atalanta.
Meanwhile, Milan aren’t quite so fortunate: they’ll be without goalkeeper López, center back Ely and midfielder Kucka, though Romagnoli could return to the heart of defense after an injury.
Match date/time: Mon., 3 p.m. ET, 9 p.m. local
Venue: Stadio San Paolo, Naples, Italy
TV: beIN Sports (US and Canada - English); beIN Sports en Español (US and Canada - Spanish); RAI International (US and Canada - Italian); BT Sport Europe (UK)
Online: beIN Sports Connect (US and Canada); fuboTV (US); BT Sport live streaming (UK)
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