Napoli host Lazio in a virtual Champions League shootout at the Stadio San Paolo on Sunday evening, as Rafael Benitez enters his last match in the Partenopei dugout.
The Spaniard, who has excelled in knockout competitions, knows that only a win is good enough to reach the Champions League before he leaves the club in the summer.
In a season bookended by playoffs, Benitez will be hoping that this opportunity is grasped better than August’s disappointment against Athletic Club. The Aquile, on the other hand, need to bounce back from their derby defeat and ensure they avoid defeat in order to claim the same prize.
Both sides enter the game in mixed form, though Lazio have only lost once in their last seven away games. Napoli have lost only two home games all season, and failed to score just once, against Chievo Verona back in September.
Previous meetings between the two sides have been very even, with Napoli holding a slight 42 to 37 victory edge over their Roman rivals in Serie A, though Lazio have only triumphed ten times at the Stadio San Paolo, most recently in 2009, when a Tommaso Rocchi brace claimed the points.
Earlier this season, a Gonzalo Higuain strike was enough to secure Napoli a 1-0 victory at the Stadio Olimpico.
Benitez will be without Miguel Britos after his indiscretion in the defeat at Juventus, while long term absentees Michu, Camilo Zuniga and Jonathan De Guzman are set to miss out again through injury.
Christian Maggio and Higuain are both set to start, and, should Higuain score, will each jump to joint 11th in Napoli’s all-time records for appearances and goals, respectively. Marek Hamsik is joint Serie A leader on 10 assists this season, so another may see him claim that crown outright.
Stefano Pioli’s side enter the game with no suspensions, but a length injury list. Lorik Cana, Ederson, Lucas Biglia and Stefan Radu are all unlikely to feature.
Miroslav Klose is set to start up front and would reach usurp Simone Inzaghi in Lazio’s list of top 10 scorers if he were to find the net. Having joined the Aquile on his 33rd birthday, that would represent an impressive achievement for the veteran.
Form Guide: Napoli (L-W-D-W-L-W), Lazio (L-W-L-D-W-D)
Expected Starting XIs
Napoli: Andujar; Maggio, Albiol, Koulibaly, Ghoulam; David Lopez, Inler; Callejon, Hamsik, Mertens; Higuain.
Lazio: Marchetti; Basta, De Vrij, Gentiletti, Lulic; Parolo, Cataldi; Candreva, Mauri, Anderson; Klose.
