Juventus and Napoli get back to Serie A basics after impressive Champions League wins while Inter Milan’s league-leading scorer Mauro Icardi looks to add to his tally away to Roma tomorrow.
Champions Juventus, favourites for a record sixth consecutive ‘scudetto’, can feel confident of maintaining their one-point lead on Napoli at Empoli.
Having limped to a scoreless draw at home to Sevilla, Massimiliano Allegri’s men put four goals past Dinamo Zagreb that left them top of Group H.
Although veteran Empoli striker Massimo Maccarone has recovered from a sore back, the Tuscan minnows’ usually formidable home form could be hit by a rash of late injuries to their defence.
Yet the smaller sides in Serie A often find an extra gear against the Turin giants and Allegri — who saw Miralem Pjanic, Gonzalo Higuain, Paulo Dybala and Dani Alves hit the net in the Croatian capital — remains cautious.
“When you have to win, it’s never easy,” Allegri said.
“The lads did great, but we have to maintain our concentration and hunger for Empoli.”
Despite Juve signing Higuain from Napoli on a 90m euro deal earlier this summer, the southerners are not suffering from his absence. Indeed, some believe his departure has liberated Napoli from Higuain’s obsession of breaking Gunnar Nordahl’s 66-year-old record of 35 goals in a single season.
Higuain succeeded with a new tally of 36, but when asked how Napoli had adapted to life without him, former teammate Dries Mertens said Wednesday: “We’re playing more as a team.”
Mertens hit a brace as Napoli swept Benfica aside 4-2 at the San Paolo to underline their last 16 credentials but, like Allegri, coach Maurizio Sarri won’t let complacency creep in.
Napoli face Atalanta in Bergamo Sunday, and Sarri said: “We secured a great win against a top European side (Benfica), but we have to curb our enthusiasm.
“The reality is we now face Atalanta in Bergamo. We risk letting our concentration slip, but hopefully this team is mature enough not to let that happen.”
Fixtures (GMT)
Today
Pescara v Chievo (1600), Udinese v Lazio (1845)
Tomorrow
Empoli v Juventus (1030); Atalanta v Napoli, Bologna v Genoa, Cagliari v Crotone, Sampdoria v Palermo (1300); AC Milan v Sassuolo, Torino v Fiorentina (1600); Roma v Inter Milan (1845)
Napoli players celebrate after scoring against Benfica.
