Massimiliano Allegri and Gian Piero Gasperini find themselves in diametrically opposite positions. Allegri has failed to win the hearts of Napoli fans, while Gasperini has become an idol to Roma's supporters. In addition to poor results, the former Juventus and Milan coach is being criticised for the style of football Napoli are playing. Meanwhile, the architect of the phenomenon known as Atalanta has adapted to the atmosphere at Trigoria in no time and given the Roman club a recognisable identity. Napoli's head coach survived the Champions League match against Bodo/Glimt, but he has not entirely escaped the threat of having his position called into question, as Napoli face two more tough tests before the November international break: away to Juventus in Turin and against an in-form Lazio at the Maradona. To put it bluntly, on Sunday, 8 November, around lunchtime, Allegri will either be a hero or a dead man walking.📋 I convocati di Gasperini per #NapoliRoma Presente Cristante, convocati Camara e Di Nunzio della primavera🐺 #RomaSpace #ASRoma https://t.co/Sxakf5VHBn— RomaSpace.eu | AS Roma (@RomaSpace_eu) October 23, 2026 One encouraging development for Max is the recovery of several players from injury. Anguissa has already returned to the team, while Vergara will be on the bench tonight. Vanja Milinković-Savić is also set to return in goal. Another important factor for the home side is Kevin De Bruyne's willingness to play as a central midfielder in front of the defensive line – a role the Belgian has either rejected or been reluctant to accept in recent times. Naturally, the most important news for Allegri is McTominay's return. He scored his first goal in five months against Bodø/Glimt. Malen returns to Roma's side after serving his suspension for the red card he received against Como. The Dutchman continues to find the net with the same prolificacy as Gabriel Batistuta during his first season in a Roma shirt. With Dybala absent, the burden of responsibility on Malen is twice as great. However, Paulo's absence is not necessarily a major handicap, considering that Soule performs much better when his compatriot is not on the pitch.Who is worse: Spalletti, Allegri or Sarri?According to reports from Trigoria, Gasperini will take advantage of Cristante's return by throwing him straight into the action, albeit in a different role. The experienced Italy international is expected to operate as an attacking playmaker behind Malen and Soule. For Cristante, this would mean a return to his roots, as he was tipped for a brilliant career as a traditional number 10 when he was a youth player. It is a necessary move because Dybala is injured, while Mora has yet to provide the necessary assurances, especially for delicate matches such as tonight's.##EDITORS_CHOICE##The Azzurri have not lost at home to Roma in the past eight years, recording four wins and four draws. In the history of meetings between the two clubs, Napoli have had only one longer unbeaten home run against Roma: from 1971 to 1982, when they recorded ten wins and one draw. Napoli have not made such a dismal start to a league campaign since the 2009/2010 season, when Roberto Donadoni was sacked after seven rounds. Roma, on the other hand, have recorded their best start since 2014, when Rudi García's side collected one more point than Gasperini's team has managed so far.Conte to Man United? Yes, but the Italian wants to call the shotsOne curious detail is that Napoli have not conceded a goal at the Maradona in their last two matches, while Roma have kept three consecutive clean sheets away from home. In their hundred-year history, Roma have never managed to go four away matches at the start of a season without conceding. Another statistic along the same lines is that Roma are the team against whom Hojlund has played the most minutes without scoring. Napoli will be without Buongiorno, Favasuli and the two Brazilians, Neres and Alisson Santos. Roma, meanwhile, are missing even more crucial players, with the backbone of their team unavailable: goalkeeper Svilar, midfield orchestrator Kone, former captain Pellegrini and Dybala, the source of creativity and inspiration for the Giallorossi.19:00 (2.60) Napoli (3.60) Roma (2.60)
53