Allegri's Napoli are dangerous in the big games, warns Roma

Napoli and Roma have met 156 times in Serie A, and the historical record favours the giallorossi. Roma have won 53 of those matches to Napoli's 48, with 55 draws, and have scored more than 190 league goals against their southern rivals. The fixture, known as the "Derby del Sole", has produced balanced contests, heavy Napoli wins, high-scoring games and tense draws, and it has established itself as a classic of Italian football. The two clubs have never met in the Europa League or the Champions League. They have, however, faced each other in other European competitions of the past, such as the Coppa delle Fiere, where the head-to-head record stands at two meetings with one win apiece. The statistics also highlight the individual duels that have defined the fixture. Roma's leading scorer in the series is Dino Da Costa, who netted 8 goals against Napoli. Edin Džeko and Francesco Totti follow with 7 goals each, and Amedeo Amadei has 6. For Napoli, Dries Mertens is the most prolific, with 9 goals against the Giallorossi, ahead of Antonio Vojak and José Altafini on 7 apiece. The article also looks at Massimiliano Allegri's long record against Roma. His meetings with the club span almost two decades and include spells on the benches of Cagliari, Milan and Juventus. Overall, Allegri has faced Roma in 30 official Serie A matches. His first match against the club as a coach came on 31 August 2008, when Cagliari drew 1-1 with Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. Daniele De Rossi scored for Roma and Joaquín Larrivey for the Sardinian side. Among the most memorable meetings was a 1-0 Roma win at the Olimpico in February 2013, decided by a strike from outside the box by Francesco Totti against his former club Milan, as well as the hard-fought Scudetto clashes from Allegri's years at Juventus. The piece also notes players and coaches who have worn the shirts of both clubs since the 2000s. They include coach Luciano Spalletti, midfielders Amadou Diawara and Morgan De Sanctis (in goal), and strikers Daniel Fonseca, Claudio Caniggia and Andrea Carnevale, as well as defender Kostas Manolas.

Napoli and Roma meet at the Maradona in a big-match fixture, and bookmakers have published their odds for the game. The match is a significant test for Roma on their trip to Naples.

Roma have named their squad for the big match at the Maradona against Napoli, which takes place less than 24 hours after the list was released. Gian Piero Gasperini's side will be without Paulo Dybala, Manu Koné, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Mile Svilar, who are all out. The club's list includes two Primavera players, Di Nunzio and Camara. Gasperini's only selection doubt is in the attacking midfield, where Bryan Cristante, Rodrigo Mora and Niccolò Pisilli are competing for a place. Pisilli is considered the likeliest to get the nod to play alongside Matías Soulé, not least because of his current form. Napoli, for their part, are getting back Rrahmani and Vergara, but will have to do without Neres, Favasuli, Buongiorno and Alisson Santos. Roma also want to end a long run against Allegri's side. They have not won away against Napoli since 2010, a wait of 16 years. That last win came on 18 December, when the decisive goal was scored by Borriello.