Napoli look to extend their second longest win streak of the season to six games, while Cremonese continue to seek their first victory since returning to the Italian top flight.
SSC Napoli
Luciano Spalletti continues to focus squarely on one match at a time, refusing to be distracted by the prospect of Napoli’s first Scudetto in 33 years. The Napoli bench boss is well aware that the Partenopei are 13 points clear of their nearest rival and will be eager to collect as many points as possible during a favourable period in the calendar. After beating 17th-placed Spezia, Napoli host bottom of the table Cremonese before traveling to play against 15th-placed Sassuolo. Though Sassuolo is gaining steam, Napoli are expected to have 62 points through 23 rounds, which would put them in a very strong position before the Champions League resumes in late February.
US Cremonese
21 rounds and two coaches later, Cremonese have yet to earn a victory this Serie campaign. With eight points, all from draws, the Grigiorossi are bottom of the table and in desperate need of positive results. A trip to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona certainly does not help. The Maradona, which has once again become a fortress of the Azzurri, is expected to host 50,000 fans on Sunday.
Cremonese will look to respond from their loss to Lecce, which they played on short rest after defeating Roma in the Coppa Italia three days prior. Curiously, while having recorded no wins in Serie A, Cremonese have won all four of their Coppa Italia fixtures and are only two wins away from hoisting the trophy. Should they find a way to defeat Fiorentina in the Semi-Finals and either of Inter or Juventus in the Final, next season’s UEFA Europa League could well feature a club from Serie B.
Injuries/Suspensions
Diego Demme completed the full group training on Saturday after doing custom work on Friday. Tanguy Ndombele missed training on Saturday due to family leave, but Napoli are expected to have a full squad on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Cremonese will be missing at least four players for this match, all recovering from thigh injuries: defender Luca Lochoshvili has a torn adductor; defender Giacomo Quagliata has a hamstring injury; winger Cristian Buonaiuto continues to recover from a bicep femoris injury; and like Lochoshvili, David Okereke also has a torn adductor. Cyriel Dessers is questionable after doing partial training with Lochoshvili, Quagliata, Buonaiuto and Okereke on Friday.
Probable Formations
Manager’s Comments
Luciano Spalletti:
“There is no thinking about the Champions League for me. I have too many reasons to think about tomorrow’s match against Cremonese without wasting attention or throughts that will be needed for tomorrow’s match, because we have not yet forgotten that Cremonese eliminated us from the Coppa Italia. We have seen all the qualities this team has. We know how strong Cremonese are…In every match we have seen they are difficult to finish off. They know how to defend and they know how to restart with the ball on the ground very well. They know how to go long with Ciofani. We know it’s a fundamental match for us. As we said in the previous match, for Napoli there are matches that you must win, and this is one of them. You grow depending on the result. With victories, you grow in confidence and quality. All of our attention will be on this match. I hope that even the public will live in the moment. We need their support in this game without making predictions of any kind.”
Davide Ballardini:
“Napoli is a team that we met in the Cup, perhaps with several players who are not regulars, but are part of a very important squad and are players of great depth. Tomorrow we will certainly find a team that is as concentrated as they have been since the beginning of the season. It will be a good test for us, a huge exam, and we will try to face it in the very best way.”
Previous Meetings
| January 1, 2023 (Coppa Italia) | SSC Napoli | 2-2 (4-5 pk) | US Cremonese |
| October 9, 2022 | US Cremonese | 1-4 | SSC Napoli |
| June 13, 1999 (Serie B) | SSC Napoli | 2-1 | US Cremonese |
| January 24, 1999 (Serie B) | US Cremonese | 1-1 | SSC Napoli |
| March 10, 1996 | US Cremonese | 1-1 | SSC Napoli |
Match Officials
Head Official: Luca Massimi
Assistants: Alessio Berti and Matteo Bottegoni
Fourth Official: Matteo Marcenaro
VAR: Luca Banti and Daniele Doveri
