PREDICTED LINE UP | Napoli v Pisa

1

Following a drab start to their European campaign, Italian champions Napoli return to Serie A action tonight, as they welcome the newly promoted Pisa to Stadio Maradona.

Gli Azzurri opened their Champions League season with a 2-0 away defeat at Manchester City, largely hindered by Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s dismissal and now look to ease back into form with newly-promoted Pisa’s visit. The Tuscan side, coached by Alberto Gilardino, are yet to win in the league this season. Yet, they will still be determined to try and upset the apple cart.

With a win this evening, the Neapolitans aim to put themselves two points clear at the top of the table ahead of their difficult trip to San Siro and AC Milan. As per AreaNapoli journalist Alessandro D’Aria, here’s how we can expect the two sides to line up.

Napoli

Napoli have won their opening three games and are looking to maintain their streak of consecutive unbeaten results, which began last season.

There’s good news from the injury report, with Amir Rrahmani back for the bench, while Romelu Lukaku and Nikita Contini are still recovering.

D’Aria suggests that Antonio Conte may change his squad and playing system, depending on the level and type of opponent. It’s believed that the manager witll go with a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Meret back in goal, and a defensive line consisting of Di Lorenzo, Sam Beukema, Juan Jesus, and Mathias Olivera from right to left, with Buongiorno and Spinazzola slightly lower down the pecking order for this match.

Franck Zambo Anguissa and Billy Gilmour will be the midfield pairing, while David Neres could operate on the right in a battle with Matteo Politano in the attacking midfield. Kevin De Bruyne could be the under-forward on the left, with Scott McTominay potentially playing as a Neres option if Politano is deployed on the right. Lucca could initially start as the centre forward, with Rasmus Hojlund in contention for a starting spot.

NAPOLI (4-2-3-1): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Beukema, Juan Jesus (Buongiorno), Olivera (Spinazzola); Anguissa, Gilmour; Neres (Politano), De Bruyne, McTominay (Neres); Lucca (Hojlund). Coach: Conte.

Gilardino was brought to Tuscany for a manager’s footballing credibility that predominantly featured defensive solidity, aggressive midfield play, enthusiasm, and experience.

Thanks to the intelligent addition of experienced players like M’Bala Nzola, Juan Cuadrado, and Raul Albiol, D’Aria sees the new Pisa team as a perfect blend of youth and pragmatism. After a strong start, with a Coppa Italia qualification on penalties against Cesena and a surprising 1-1 draw at Atalanta on the league’s opening day, two narrow home defeats against Roma and Udinese followed, ultimately revealing the Tuscans’ struggles in front of goal.

Regarding the lineup, Gilardino has Cuadrado back but is without Calvin Stengs for at least a couple of weeks. Therefore, in the typical 3-4-2-1 formation, Croatian Adrian Semper will be in goal, with a defensive line of Simone Canestrelli, captain Antonio Caracciolo, and Mateus Lusuardi, in ahead of Nicholas Bonfanti. In the four midfielders, from right to left, Idrissa Toure will compete with Cuadrado, with 20-year-old Ebenezer Akinsanmiro ahead of Marius Marin, Michel Aebischer, and Samuele Angori. Moreo and Tramoni will support one of Nzola and Henrik Meister in the attacking midfield area. The latter striking option is believed to hold a slight advantage.

PISA (3-4-2-1): Semper; Canestrelli, Caracciolo, Lusuardi (Bonfanti); Toure (Cuadrado), Akinsanmiro (Marin), Aebischer, Angori; Moreo, Tramoni; Meister (Nzola). Coach: Gilardino.

GIFN | Max Bradfield