Well, well. Koulibaly, last weekend’s hero, is this weekend’s villain after that early – VAR-awarded – red card and his side have struggled accordingly, going a goal down and perhaps fortunate not to have conceded more. They haven’t really managed to put anything together and, unless Sarri can work wonders at the break, Juventus will regain an iron grip on the title race.
45+3 min: I wouldn’t advocate this at all but the best chance for Napoli here is perhaps to ratchet up the niggliness and see if they can’t get the numbers levelled up before too long.
45+2 min: Reina appears to have received a blow to the rubs, perhaps when saving that Chiesa effort as the striker fell over him. He takes some treatment but should be alright.
45 min: Another chance for 2-0 goes begging, Chiesa getting in after a Saponara shot is blocked, but a combination of Reina and a defender keeping the ball out – and the game alive. Then Benassi sidefoots wide and Napoli need the whistle so much.
43 min: Now Simeone finds Benassi but, with Reina advancing and the angle near-impossible, the keeper smothers his shot.
42 min: Biraghi gets forward well before dragging wide. Napoli really need to get in at half-time and see how they can sort this out.
41 min: Badelj wins yet another dangerous free-kick after Callejon needlessly gave the ball away. Napoli look in an absolute flap currently. Veretout again puts the set-piece too high.
38 min: Saponara has acres to run into and shoots, quite tamely in the end, to Reina from 25 yards. Perhaps Jorginho should still be on?
37 min: Callejon is booked, now, and a few of the Napoli players are losing their heads a bit. Hamsik, in particular, is having strong words with the ref.
36 min: And it could be two, Benassi whipping a cross-shot beyond Simeone and past the post. Napoli are rocking.
You can hear the roars in Turin! Napoli have struggled with long, direct balls to the Fiorentina front men all game and this one, finding Simeone down the inside left channel, sees the forward advance into space before clipping coolly under Reina. How on earth do Napoli turn this around now?
33 min: Albiol is booked for an ungainly foul on Benassi. Fiorentina have another free-kick chance, a little further out than the last two. It’s lifted towards the far post but there’s a foul and the danger is over.
31 min: Hysaj does very well to reach a Hamsik ball by the right byline, and finds Insigne with a volleyed cross - but the forward miskicks after teeing himself up nicely.
29 min: Laurini crosses from the right and Simeone can’t get enough on his attempt at a glancing header. For Napoli, perhaps this is a case of keeping it goalless for a while and then going for it late on.
28 min: Fiorentina don’t look especially capable of a breakthrough although they’re very much controlling possession.
25 min: From the move that results, Napoli earn a corner – their first of the match. Can they snaffle something priceless here? Its a tricky one, and Sportiello has to paw it away from under his own crossbar. If only Koulibaly was on to attack it!
24 min: A yellow card, there, for Laurini after a foul on Insigne.
22 min: Napoli aren’t getting too much of the ball just now. Their attacking players are still on the pitch but can they get them the service from further back?
19 min: ... which Veretout, the ex-Aston Villa man, curls over.
18 min: Chiesa, who looks lively, wins Fiorentina another free-kick close to the edge of the box ...
17 min: Insigne tries a long-range shot but it’s blocked. Napoli are doing OK at the moment; it would certainly have been easy to sub a more creative player than Jorginho after the red card. Sarri knows they need to go for it, somehow.
15 min: That entire VAR farrago took three minutes or so, by the way. I’m sure we are all looking forward to the World Cup.
13 min: So while Juventus benefited from a red card yesterday, Napoli must battle one here. And they really need to win. What now?
We’ve had all sorts of drama here – a VAR review has upgraded Coulibaly’s yellow card to a red, and downgraded the penalty to a free-kick, which was saved! Tonelli has come on to replace Jorginho for 10-man Napoli. What a start!
A nightmare start for Napoli! Simeone chases down the middle and goes down under the challenge of Koulibaly ... it’s a yellow card for the defender, who could have been the last man there, and a spot kick is awarded!
4 min: Reina has distributed the ball neatly a couple of times, while Insigne has tried to get one or two things going down the left. For now, though, little joy.
2 min: It’s a fairly mellow start, Napoli seeing most of the ball. Will nerves, the fear of making an error, play any part after the high of last weekend?
Can Napoli keep their challenge up?
The teams are in the tunnel, a few backs are being slapped, and we’ll be getting underway before too long ...
Imagine the celebrations if little-known Napoli – everybody’s favourite hipster side, I’ve heard! – won the league. You’d want to be there, to be fair. Today is absolutely crucial though ...
This is pretty awesome:
Everything Napoli (@NaplesAndNapoli)This is brilliant. More than 5.000 Napoli fans at Piazza Garibaldi to encourage the team before they head to Florence. 💙😍👏🏻 #ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/MxCFQ0MMh8
April 28, 2018
Fiorentina: Sportiello, Laurini, Pizzella, Milenkovic, Biraghi, Veretout, Badelj, Benassi, Saponara, Chiesa, Simeone.
Napoli: Reina; Hysaj, Albiol, Koulibaly, Rui, Allan, Jorginho, Hamsik, Callejon, Mertens, Insigne.
Kick-off is at 5pm UK time.
Serie A, eh? It’s where the drama is this season and I would say there is a fair chance of more today. Juventus’s dramatic win at Inter last night means Napoli, if they are to keep up the pressure created by their brilliant away win over the leaders, must keep on winning too – and it won’t be easy today.
That’s because they face a Fiorentina side that, until recently, had won six in a row. Their form has stalled a bit; they’ve lost their last two and drew at home with Spal before that, but it’s probably not the game you’d want in this situation and the pressure is very much on for Maurizio Sarri and company.
Can Napoli bring a thrilling conclusion to the season a step closer? Or will Fiorentina put the title firmly in Juve’s hands and render all last weekend’s celebrations a little but premature? Stay with us and see!