Napoli picked up a 4-2 win over Sampdoria last weekend and will look to keep their spot at the top of Serie A as they take on Empoli.
The last team these two teams met back in September the match ended in a 2-2 draw at the Stadio Carlo Castellani.
Form
It must be good to be a Napoli supporter right now. Napoli are currently first in Serie A and it's starting to look like a two team race between them and Juventus. Juventus are in top form and are riding a winning streak that has taken them from midtable all the way to second. Juve are four points ahead of both Inter Milan and Fiorentina, putting Napoli six points ahead of both.
To begin the season, the top of the table was congested but now Juve and Napoli are starting to pull away. Napoli will face some tough teams after this fixture as they take on Lazio and a Carpi team fighting for their survival. But the big test will come on February 13th when Napoli play Juventus with 1st place in Italy on the line in a battle of two giants. Right after that they will play the first leg in the Europa League Round of 32 against Villarreal; things are about to pick up for Napoli in a hurry.
Empoli are coming into this game trying to pick up all three points after drawing their last two games against Chievo and Milan. Empoli are currently 8th in the table and are only a point ahead of Lazio in the table. But they can move on up with a win. Only a point seperate Empoli and 6th place Milan. If Empoli can pull off an upset over the league leaders, they will find themselves with a fighting chance of getting a European spot. This will be a reunion game for Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri as he will take on the team that he helped gain promotion to Serie A two years ago.
Team News
Empoli will be without Andre Costa due to injury but will have Leandro Paredes back in the squad.
Napoli will be expected to have their full squad on hand for this fixture. Expect a lot of regular starters to play in this fixture. Despite limping off during a friendly midweek, Napoli have said that striker Gonzalo Higuain will be playing against Empoli.
What They're Saying
“I learned so much at Empoli, but I am also worried because this will be a very difficult match. " said Sarri (via Football Italia) when asked about coaching against his former club.
“We must focus on one game at a time. I am not thinking about the Scudetto, but we won’t set limits on ourselves either." Sarri later added (via Football Italia).
Prediction
Napoli are riding high and are in top form despite crashing out of the Coppa Italia last week. With Gonzalo Higuain deemed fit for this clash, Napoli will be fine. It looks like all three points for Higuain and company.