Napoli take on AC Milan at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Sunday evening, 29 October 2023. 

Napoli failed to beat AC Milan in their last three meetings, with the Rossoneri achieving an impressive 4-0 victory in Naples in their most recent Serie A encounter. 

All in all, The Partenopei have failed to beat AC Milan in their last five matches in Naples across all competitions and will be eager to finally turn things around. 

AC Milan were seconds away from claiming their fourth consecutive win in Naples but Victor Osimhen's stoppage-time penalty sealed a 1-1 draw in the sides' last meeting. However, a draw was still not enough for Napoli, who suffered a 2-1 aggregate loss in last season's Champions League semi-finals. 

With that said, Napoli will be desperate to earn their first home win over AC Milan since August 2018, when Piotr Zielinski's brace inspired a remarkable 3-2 comeback victory. 

Having lost three of their last four home games in all competitions, Napoli will hope to get a proper result when they host AC Milan on Sunday. 

Napoli's recent form shows how inconsistent their Scudetto defense has been this season. Rudi Garcia's men have suffered back-to-back home defeats to Real Madrid and Fiorentina, in the Champions League and Serie A respectively, prior to the break. 

Napoli returned to winning ways with consecutive victories over Hellas Verona and Union Berlin after the international break (both on the road) and Rudi Garcia's men will be keen to win three in a row for the first time in 2023-24.

Garcia's future as Napoli boss came into question when his side lost two in a row before the break, but beating Verona (3-1) and then Union Berlin (1-0) in the space of a few days has relieved some pressure on the Partenopei's head coach.

With the victory last weekend, Napoli are once again inside the Serie A top four, level on 17 points with Fiorentina in fifth. However, they are now bidding to boost themselves in the Scudetto race and they need to be more consistent if they are to succeed. 

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is finally getting back to shape, with the Georgian winger making six goal contributions (four goals and two assists) in his last four appearances for club and country. Furthermore, Kvaratskhelia bagged a brace as Napoli comfortably defeated a struggling Verona 3-1 at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi last weekend.

Nigerian forward Victor Osimhen picked up an injury on international duty, so Rudi Garcia must choose between Giacomo Raspadori and Giovanni Simeone, with the former tipped to get the nod. The 2022-23 Capocannoniere will be ruled out for the next couple of weeks with a hamstring injury, so Rudi Garcia must improvise up front.

Raspadori scored his first goal since the 2-2 draw at Genoa on September 16 to seal Napoli's 1-0 win at Union Berlin on Wednesday and will hope to keep his starting spot. 

Matteo Politano has been another standout performer for Napoli this season, with the 30-year-old Italian international scoring four goals and three assists in nine Serie A games. 

Elsewhere, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa is back on the bench, but not fully fit after a thigh problem, so Eljif Elmas or Jens Cajuste are likely to take over in midfield. 

Experienced Brazilian defender Juan Jesus remains sidelined, so Natan and Amir Rrahmani should start at centre-back.

The Rossoneri will be aiming to get back on track when they travel to face Scudetto holders Napoli at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Serie A action on Sunday.

Stefano Pioli's side suffered a 1-0 defeat against Juventus at the San Siro in their last Serie A match to break a four-match winning streak in the competition.

AC Milan sit third in Serie A, one point behind their bitter rivals Inter Milan and two behind current leaders Juventus, who have secured a late victory over Verona on Saturday night. 

Meanwhile, Stefano Pioli's side also suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday night. Thus, they remain bottom of Group F, where the Rossoneri are yet to score after three games, but they still have their chances of securing a last-16 spot due to the goalless draws with Newcastle United and Borussia Dortmund. 

AC Milan remain without the likes of Marco Sportiello, Mattia Caldara, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Ismael Bennacer (who scored the winner in AC Milan's 1-0 win over Napoli in the Champions League semi-final first leg) and Samuel Chukwueze, as well as the suspended German international Malick Thiaw.

However, goalkeeper Mike Maignan and left-back Theo Hernández both return after missing out against Juventus (due to suspension), while Noah Okafor and Luka Jovic are only fit to start on the bench.

Pioli's main doubts are in defense between Pierre Kalulu and veteran Simon Kjaer, while Yacine Adli and Rade Krunic are in contention for the midfield spot.

Up front, Olivier Giroud's goal drought is a concern for Stefano Pioli, but the Frenchman tends to produce in the biggest games. Still, Giroud and Christian Pulisic have been AC Milan's most prolific players this term, each netting four times. 

Rafael Leao had failed to score in four Serie A matches against Napoli until he netted a brace for the 4-0 win at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in April. The Portuguese winger is enjoying another strong campaign for AC Milan with three goals and three assists in nine top-flight appearances. 

Napoli last lost three in a row at home in November 2020, but their current inconsistency makes them too unpredictable and The Rossoneri should take advantage of the situation. 

AC Milan, though, have scored just one goal in their last four matches in all competitions and Stefano Pioli must figure out how to do better against Napoli. 

They still have the second best away record in the league, winning four of their five matches away from home in 2023-24. However, their only defeat over the period was exactly at San Siro, when The Rossoneri lost 5-1 to arch rivals Inter Milan in September, meaning they're actually unbeaten away from San Siro. 

The Rossoneri have proven they have the quality and performers to exploit Napoli's defensive vulnerability and we should see both teams scoring.