Napoli vs AC Milan

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Napoli currently holds the fourth position in the Serie A standings, but they've been in good form recently, having avoided defeat in five of their last six league matches before facing AC Milan. After a loss to Fiorentina, they bounced back with a convincing away victory against Hellas Verona.

Napoli aims to build on their recent success and secure a positive outcome in front of their fans at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. On the other hand, AC Milan sits second in the league and seeks to narrow the gap with cross-town rivals Inter Milan, who play earlier in the day.

AC Milan enters this match on the heels of a loss to Juventus and is determined to rebound with a strong performance. Historically, the Rossoneri have performed well against Napoli in away fixtures and hope to continue that trend.

Napoli will be missing star striker Victor Osimhen and Juan Jesus due to injuries. AC Milan is expected to line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Alex Meret in goal. Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Mario Rui will take on the roles of full-backs, contributing on both the offensive and defensive fronts. Amir Rrahmani and Natan are set to be the central defenders.

Stanislas Lobotka will play as the central defensive midfielder, tasked with disrupting the opposition's attacks and safeguarding the central defense. Jens Cajuste and Piotr Zielinski will feature in the central midfield, providing creativity and control. Giacomo Raspadori will lead Napoli's forward line, supported by Matteo Politano and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the flanks.

The home team is facing several injury concerns as they prepare for this match. Marco Sportiello, Samuel Chukwueze, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Ismael Bennacer, and Mattia Caldara are all unavailable due to injuries, and Malick Thiaw will be absent due to suspension.

On the other hand, the visiting team is likely to adopt a 4-3-3 formation, with Mike Maignan as the goalkeeper. Davide Calabria and Theo Hernandez will serve as the full-backs, with their roles encompassing both defensive and offensive duties. Pierre Kalulu will pair with Fikayo Tomori in the central defense.

In midfield, Yacine Adli will join forces with Yunus Musah and Tijjani Reijnders, aiming to maintain a compact presence in the middle of the field and disrupt the opponent's attacks. Leading the attacking line for AC Milan will be Olivier Giroud, flanked by Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao on either side.

Despite concerns about a potential dip in form, the 22-year-old Georgian has been performing admirably in Serie A this season, boasting three goals and three assists in just seven starts. His objective is to use his speed and skill to create goal-scoring opportunities from the wide areas. Kvaratskhelia has been actively contributing, with four goals and two assists in his last four appearances for both club and country, and he aims to continue this impressive streak.

Rudi Garcia's position as Napoli's manager came under scrutiny after his team suffered consecutive losses just before the international break. However, victories against Hellas Verona and Union Berlin have alleviated some of the pressure on the reigning champions' head coach.

The turning point came last Saturday when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored twice in a 3-1 victory at Stadio Bentegodi. Napoli then traveled to Germany, where they narrowly defeated Braga with a late own goal, but subsequently suffered a 3-2 home loss to Real Madrid. Despite this, they maintained their second-place position in Champions League Group C on Tuesday night, with Giacomo Raspadori's goal securing a total of six points at the midway stage.

Looking ahead, Napoli faces top-four contenders and a fellow Campanian club, Salernitana, in Serie A. They currently sit fifth in the standings after nine rounds, trailing leaders Inter by five points.

While speculation surrounds both their coach's position and the future of star striker Victor Osimhen, Napoli's primary focus is narrowing the points gap. A victory on Sunday would bring them within one point of Milan. Nevertheless, they have experienced two losses in their last three home league games, matching their total from the previous 23 matches. This could lead to heightened expectations at a crowded Stadio Maradona.

In their past nine encounters with Milan in the top flight, Napoli has won three, lost three, and drawn three. However, their most recent meeting resulted in elimination from the Champions League quarter-finals, following a 4-0 league defeat in early April.

Milan has not only advanced to the Champions League's last four with a 1-1 draw but has also achieved a historic milestone, winning their last three Serie A away matches against Napoli.

However, their recent travels are marred by two disheartening defeats. The first loss occurred at home against potential Scudetto rivals Juventus, who secured a 1-0 victory at San Siro after Milan was reduced to 10 players in the first half. Despite putting up a valiant effort following Malick Thiaw's red card, Milan's third-choice goalkeeper, Antonio Mirante, eventually conceded a goal due to a deflected shot from former Milan midfielder Manuel Locatelli. Locatelli had also scored the winning goal in a similar fixture exactly seven years prior.

This defeat marked only the second loss for Milan in nine league matches this season, the other being a resounding 5-1 defeat against their old rivals, Inter. Nevertheless, they have clinched victory seven times and currently sit just behind their city rivals in the league standings.

Following the loss to his former club, Milan's coach, Stefano Pioli, aimed for an immediate response when his team visited Paris Saint-Germain midweek. However, they suffered a humbling 3-0 defeat at Parc des Princes, extending their scoreless streak in the Champions League to five matches.

Milan now finds themselves at the bottom of the "Group of Death," which also includes Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle United. They are in dire need of three points in the upcoming reverse fixture next month in Italy's second city. But before that, Milan returns to domestic action on Sunday.