Napoli VS Monza live preview Serie A

Napoli：

Descending to the seventh spot after a second-half collapse at Stadio Olimpico last Saturday, Napoli not only faced a setback in the league standings but also suffered multiple setbacks that could impact their upcoming matches.Matteo Politano's red card was quickly followed by Lorenzo Pellegrini's opening goal for Roma, and Victor Osimhen's subsequent second yellow card left Napoli with a two-goal deficit after Romelu Lukaku converted a penalty. This weekend, Napoli will be without two key members of their first-choice front three due to suspension, adding to the growing list of injury absentees, further complicating matters for beleaguered manager Walter Mazzarri.Already out of the title race and trailing fourth-placed Bologna by four points with one game remaining in the first half of the season, Napoli, under Mazzarri, has fallen far from the form that led them to the Scudetto last season under Luciano Spalletti. Despite key players remaining with the club, recent performances have been lackluster, and even a new deal for Osimhen couldn't prevent a 4-0 Coppa Italia defeat to Frosinone in their last home fixture.Mazzarri, who recently became the 10th manager in Serie A history to oversee 500 matches, is facing a challenging start to his second stint with Napoli. With the team's struggles and growing dissatisfaction, there's speculation about the manager's future, echoing past decisions by Napoli's president Aurelio De Laurentiis.

Monza：

While the reigning champions Napoli are grappling with internal turmoil, Monza presents a stark contrast as a model of consistency and steady progress in their second-ever Serie A season.Having finished in 11th place on their debut, Raffaele Palladino's side currently holds the same position after 17 games and is closer to the European qualification spots than the relegation zone. Monza has relied on strong home form to stay clear of danger, with clean sheets in half of their home fixtures until last week's loss to Fiorentina. However, their away record in the 2023-24 season shows only two wins.Following a 3-0 defeat to Milan and a loss to Fiorentina just before Christmas, Monza suffered their sixth league loss of the season. Notably, all their defeats have come against teams that finished in the top eight last season.As they prepare for another clash with one of Serie A's top teams, Monza aims to perform better than their first visit to Stadio Maradona, where they were defeated 4-0 in August 2022. However, they managed to gain revenge with a 2-0 victory on home soil last May.

Analysis：

Napoli manager Walter Mazzarri faces a significant challenge ahead of Friday evening's match, with several key players unavailable. Stanislav Lobotka, a midfield maestro, suffered a broken rib, and Brazilian center-back Natan dislocated his shoulder in the recent game against Roma. Additionally, Mathias Olivera continues to be sidelined with a knee injury, and Eljif Elmas has recently moved to RB Leipzig. Furthermore, two key attackers are suspended, with Victor Osimhen and Matteo Politano both serving one-match bans.As a result, Mazzarri may need to make significant changes to the starting XI. Giovanni Simeone and Giacomo Raspadori could potentially step in to replace the suspended attackers. On the other side, Monza's defensive stalwart, Pablo Mari, will also be suspended after receiving a booking against Fiorentina. This could open the door for Napoli primavera product Armando Izzo to feature in Monza's back three.Aside from these absences, Andrea Carboni and Gianluca Caprari are expected to be the only other players unavailable for Monza, with the latter still recovering from an ACL injury. Raffaele Palladino is likely to make minimal changes to the lineup at the Maradona, although Lorenzo Colombo and Patrick Ciurria could be considered for inclusion from the bench.

Napoli possible starting lineup:

Meret; Di Lorenzo, Jesus, Rrahmani, Rui; Anguissa, Cajuste, Zielinski; Raspadori, Simeone, Kvaratskhelia.

Monza possible starting lineup:

Di Gregorio; D'Ambrosio, Caldirola, Izzo; Pereira, Gagliardini, Pessina, Ciurria; Colpani, Vignato; Colombo.

Napoli vs Monza stream and TV listing

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