Napoli’s pursuit of Serie A leaders Inter Milan will face a severe test on Monday when they travel to in-form Bologna, who have revived their own top-four aspirations.
Antonio Conte’s side sit three points behind Inter with eight matches remaining, leaving them with little margin for error.
The positive news for Conte is that key midfielder Scott McTominay has returned to full training after recovering from a recent bout of flu.
With Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa also back to full fitness, Conte’s squad is now at near full strength, with the exception of injured defender Leonardo Spinazzola.
Bologna, who have climbed to fourth in the standings after a five-match winning streak, will be without AC Milan loanee Davide Calabria, who is set to miss several weeks due to an ankle sprain, according to Italian media.
Leaders Inter, who will visit 16th-placed Parma on Saturday, have a growing injury list, with more bad news potentially on the horizon.
Central defender Denzel Dumfries’s recovery from a hamstring injury could take longer than expected, according to media reports, with his estimated return not for another three to four weeks.
Lautaro Martinez, Federico Dimarco, and Marko Arnautovic are also doubts ahead of a critical point in the season as Inter face a two-legged Champions League quarterfinal against Bayern Munich and the second leg of their Coppa Italia semifinal against AC Milan in April.
For Atalanta, the mood in Bergamo suggests the title race is all but over for Gian Piero Gasperini’s third-placed side, who have suffered back-to-back league defeats and sit nine points behind Inter.
Amid media speculation about his own future at the club, Gasperini declared the title race effectively over following their 2-0 home defeat to Inter in mid-March.
“It was an impossible dream that I think disappeared in the game against Inter,” he said.
Atalanta will face a Lazio side with one win in their last six league matches.
Igor Tudor will take charge of his second match as Juventus head coach when they travel to AS Roma, who are finding some rhythm in the final stretch of the season.
Claudio Ranieri’s side have won their last seven league games, which has propelled them up to sixth in the table.
Juve will hope to have midfielder Douglas Luiz and defender Andrea Cambiaso back for the clash, but centre back Federico Gatti will be out after suffering a leg fracture during Saturday’s 1-0 Serie A win over Genoa.
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