After scoring seven goals in two games, Napoli will aim to use their newfound firepower when they visit Monza for a Serie A clash on Wednesday night.

Last time out, the Partenopei were denied back-to-back wins as Roma shared the spoils in a dramatic Derby del Sole, leaving them marooned in mid-table.

Match preview

It has been an eventful few days for Napoli, who won a seven-goal thriller against Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League before welcoming southern rivals Roma to Naples on Saturday.

Scott McTominay's brace had helped them over the line against Bodo, and he scored twice at Stadio Maradona once again, only for the hosts to let 2-0 and 3-2 leads slip through their grasp.

Under pressure after a slow start to his reign, Max Allegri was sent off for dissent when the final whistle blew on a frenetic 3-3 draw, and the veteran coach must serve a touchline ban in midweek.

Earlier this month, his Allegri's men were beaten by Villarreal and previously pointless Venezia in the space of four days, so he needs a strong run of results to keep the critics at bay.

Champions and then runners-up in the last two campaigns, Napoli sit 10th in Serie A after eight matches - it may be early days, but they trail the top four by seven points.

So, the Campanian club will be keen to end their two-month wait for an away win when they head north on Wednesday.

McTominay scored the lone goal when Monza last hosted Napoli, back in April 2025; since then the Brianzoli have been relegated and promoted straight back to Serie A.

New coach Ivan Juric made an uncertain start, but results are starting to improve: his team have recently reached the Coppa Italia's last 16 and won two of their last four league fixtures.

Breakout star Gustavo Varela struck twice in last Monday's 4-0 win over Cagliari, though his seventh goal of the season failed to prevent defeat on Friday night.

Despite Varela hauling them level just after half time, Monza lost 3-2 to in-form Torino, continuing their wait for an away victory - in fact, they have only claimed one point on the road.

Meanwhile, they have secured six points from a possible nine on home turf, suggesting that Napoli cannot take anything for granted.

Monza Serie A form:

Monza form (all competitions):

Napoli Serie A form:

Napoli form (all competitions):

Team News

Adding to Napoli’s injury list, Benoit Badiashile was withdrawn with a muscular problem at the weekend, and the French defender could miss a quickfire trio of away matches - against Monza, Porto and Juventus.

Allegri was already without Alessandro Buongiorno, David Neres, Costantino Favasuli and Alisson Santos, while Amir Rrahmani sat out the draw with Roma while recovering from an illness.

The latter should return in midweek, replacing Badiashile alongside Rafa Marin in central defence.

While Kevin De Bruyne is the visitors’ top Serie A scorer with three goals so far, Varela has already netted seven and sits joint-top of the Capocannoniere rankings.

For context, the only Monza player to have managed more in an entire top-tier campaign was Andrea Colpani, who notched eight from 38 appearances in 2023-24.

Roma loanee Jan Ziolkowski and captain Matteo Pessina are still ruled out by injury, and Yvan Maye remains a doubt. 

Monza possible starting lineup:

Tornqvist; Kouadio, Goglichidze, Carboni; Birindelli, Akinsanmiro, Ondoa, Mangas; Folorunsho, Robinson; Varela

Napoli possible starting lineup:

Meret; Di Lorenzo, Marin, Rrahmani, Olivera; Anguissa, De Bruyne, McTominay; Politano, Vergara; Hojlund

We say: Monza 1-2 Napoli

For several months, Napoli have regularly failed to impress away from home, while Monza are much stronger as hosts.

Yet, the Partenopei have started to find some rhythm in the final third, so they can score at least twice to claim maximum points.

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