Setting the Tone: Defending Champions Napoli Eye Top Spot as Pisa Aims to Be an Early Roadblock.
Defending Champions Napoli would be looking to grab the top spot as they host Pisa at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, who are currently struggling in 19th place with only one point.
Napoli has started the season strong in Serie A with a perfect record of three wins in three games, where they didn’t have to sweat much to take up the second spot with nine points. In their last game, Napoli played a UCL fixture against Man City, losing 2-0 at the Etihad after Di Lorenzo received an early red card in the 21st minute, leaving Napoli with only 10 men against the PL giants, which ultimately led to a comfortable victory for Manchester City.
On the other hand, Pisa started the season with a shock by drawing against Atalanta, who, on paper and in recent records, has been a far superior team at their home Stadio di Bergamo. But from then on, it had been a tough journey for the recently promoted team, as they lost their next two home fixtures against both Roma and Udinese.
Match Details:
- Fixture: SSC Napoli vs Pisa SC
- Date: 22.09.2025 (Monday)
Kick-Off:
- Italy (CEST – Central European Summer Time) → 8:45 PM
- UK (BST – British Summer Time) → 7:45 PM
- US (ET – Eastern Time) → 2:45 PM (noon)
- US (PT – Pacific Time) → 11:45 AM
- Australia (AEST – Sydney/Melbourne) → 5:15 AM (next day)
- India (IST – Indian Standard Time) → 12:15 AM (next day)
- Venue: Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, Naples, Italy
Match Officials:
- Referee: Valerio Crezzini
- Assistants: Alessandro Costanzo, Vito Mastrodonato.
- Fourth official: Gianluca Manganiello
- VAR: Antonia Giua
Live Stream:
- DAZN (India)
- DAZN, Paramount+ (US)
- DAZN (UK)
- Sky Sports, DAZN (Italy)
Key Stats
| Stat | SSC Napoli | Pisa SC |
| Head-to-Head | 14 Wins | 5 Wins |
| Draws | 7 | 7 |
| Form (Last 3 League matches) | W W W | D L L |
| Top Scorer | Careca (3) | Lamberto Piovanelli (2) |
| Notable Streaks | Currently on a 3-match winning streak in Serie A to start the season. | Currently on a 3-match winless streak to start their Serie A campaign. |
Key Players to Watch Out for
SSC Napoli
- Kevin De Bruyne—The Man City and PL legend has been in great form, scoring two goals for the Italian side after leaving City this season. His experience, playmaking skills, scoring ability, and ability to dictate the midfield would be crucial for them to unlock Pisa’s defense.
Pisa SC
- Matteo Tramoni—Pisa’s main attacking threat last season in Serie B with 13 goals—would be their ray of hope to pull off a miracle against the high-flying Napoli.
Tactical Battle
SSC Napoli
Antonio Conte is likely to set up his team in a 4-1-4-1 formation, as this setup has worked for Conte this season, where they conceded only one goal while scoring 6 (in Serie A), showing that this not only provides him with defensive stability but also the necessary attacking threat to ease past them.
Pisa SC
Pisa manager Alberto Gilardino has never lost a game to Napoli, drawing both the games he managed against them. Pisa is likely to set up his team in a 3-5-2 formation. Although losing their last games, Pisa has only conceded 2 goals (1-0 vs Roma and 1-0 Udinese), which shows that they are a team that is defensively solid.
Predicted Lineups
Napoli Possible Starting XI:
Milinkovic Savic; G. Di Lorenzo, S.Beukema, A.Buongiorno, M.Oliviera; S.Lobotka; M.Politano, S.McTominay, K.De Bruyne, F.Anguissa; R.Hojlund
Pisa Possible Starting XI:
A.Semper; G.Bonfanti, A.Caracciolo, S.Canestrelli; M.Lehris, M.Marin, M.Aebischer, M.Tramoni; I.Toure; M.Nzola, S.Moreno
Key Injuries
Napoli
- Contino (Broken Hand)
- Rrahmani (Hamstring Injury)
- Lukaku (Thigh Injury)
Pisa
- Cuadrado
Scoreline Predictions
A comfortable 3-0 for Napoli is expected. Pisa’s defense will face a tough 90 minutes at Stadio Maradona, as the Napoli attack is expected to thrash them, making Pisa’s wait to win a game longer and their battle to escape relegation tougher.
