Finally it starts again! The championship restarts after the Christmas break and does so with two very interesting matches: Empoli-Palermo (18 pm, real play-off) and Napoli-Sampdoria (20.45 pm). For the Azzurri it is a delicate match, as evidenced by the rankings: with Juve and Roma who "run away" and the large group of pursuers on their heels (Lazio, Milan, Atalanta, Inter) Sarri's team must necessarily win, under penalty of call into question the current third place. “Now is the time to transform the good game into results – thought Sarri. – We threw away too many points despite excellent performances, this is our mental limit but we are working to fix it. I think that our leap in quality can come from this aspect…”. The blue coach didn't mince words to explain his team's problems. The paradox, in fact, is that despite offering the best football in the championship (at least in flashes) Napoli is unable to really turn around, so as to get seriously close to Juve and try to contend for the Scudetto.
It will therefore be important to see how he will behave tonight against Sampdoria, in a match that went a little quietly after the controversies of recent days relating to tickets (and the usual crazy scalping) for Real Madrid. It is useless to deny it: in the city there are many who are already thinking about the super challenge with the champions of Europe and the world. “If we do this a month in advance it becomes a huge problem – glossed over Sarri. – I spent the holidays watching 6 or 7 matches for Sampdoria and 3 or 4 for Spezia, I don't think about the rest. The Blucerchiati play good football, they have quality and a remarkable offensive dangerousness. In addition, they have a defensive organization and a coach who I have always admired a lot, so I expect a difficult match." For the first time the coach will be able to count on Pavoletti, a brand new reinforcement and already included in the squad list. The former Genoa player will start from the bench just like Gabbiadini, evidently destined instead to leave Naples in this transfer market session. However, Sarri's headaches do not concern the attack but the defense: with Koulibaly and Ghoulam injured, Hysaj bruised and Albiol disqualified, the department practically needs to be redone. The blue 4-3-3 will thus see Reina in goal, Maggio, Maksimovic, Tonelli and Strinic in defense, Zielinski, Diawara and Hamsik in midfield, Callejon, Mertens and Insigne in attack. Giampaolo will respond with a 4-3-1-2 with Puggioni in goal, Pereira, Skriniar, Silvestre and Regini in the back, Barreto, Torreira and Linetty in the midfield, Praet in the trocar behind the offensive duo Muriel-Quagliarella.
