Serie A: Napoli v Fiorentina

Napoli v Fiorentina

Sunday Afternoon

There were some benefits to going into the international break at the top; largely that we spend an extra week at the top getting used to the idea that we are league leaders. However, it can only really be a source of benefit if we prolong that length of time to underline our status one further week. This would bring our maximum spending time at the top to one month in total give or take a few technical changes along the way.

In order to achieve this, we'd have to go away to Napoli and beat them. Something we've done before no less under Napoli's previous management. The fact that we are top of the league has resulted in press stories that we're not used to seeing. Press stories such as 'Nikola Kalinic played in the Croatian international game, will he be fit for Napoli?' - anything for the journalists to get us into the spotlight. Well tomorrow afternoon, we really will be in the spotlight in the second biggest game of the day. Our match will stay in the afternoon as Inter v Juventus takes full evening time precedence. Oh how wonderful would it be if we could render their match a pointless secondary affair if we can take the three points at Napoli.

Beating Napoli is not really a done or easy task by any means. But as good as they have been at times, there have been times when they looked particularly shaky. Given our level of organisation and our propensity to attack teams in numbers after defensive errors, it is possible that Paulo Sousa's game plan continues to work in its standard fashion.

The squad is not likely to have many changes. We are five wins out of five and the unavailable list is the same as it was before with the addition of Ante Rebic. I am eager for Gilberto Jr to return to our party as he is a signing we've needed for a long time. In the meantime, long live Blasczykowski.


Napoli 4-3-3:

Reina

Hysaj - Albiol - Koulibaly - Ghoulam

Allan - Jorginho - Hamsik

Callejon - Higuain - Insigne


Kalinic

Valero - Illicic

Marcos Alonso - Badelj - Vecino - Blasczykowski

Astori - Gonzalo - Roncaglia

Neto

Fiorentina 3-4-2-1:



This match is at 2pm.

3pm Europe. 9am Boston. 1am Melbourne. 4pm Bahrain.

Live on BT Sport 1.

Serie A: Napoli v Fiorentina