When the teams play at Stadio Maradona on Friday night, Napoli, who have been at the top of the table for more than a year, will be looking to keep up their good form at Como's expense.
In Serie A, the hosts enjoy a perfect home record against their Lombardy rivals, but before heading south to Naples, the visitors are also playing well.
Spurred on by head coach Antonio Conte, the revamped Napoli are one win away from taking the Scudetto from Juventus after six games, marking their first return to the top of Serie A since 2023.
The previous weekend, the Azzurri faced Monza, and shortly after defeating Serie B team Palermo 5-0 to get to the Coppa Italia semifinals, they scored twice in an 11-minute first-half span to essentially seal the match.
Before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia doubled the home team's lead, Matteo Politano extended their unbeaten run to five league games. Politano is one of just three active players, along with Paulo Dybala and South American tandem Duvan Zapata, to score in ten consecutive Serie A seasons.
Despite playing with a now-unfamiliar back four and missing their starting goalkeeper due to injury, Napoli preserved a fourth consecutive clean sheet to extend their season's record to six shutouts from eight games.
They have won all nine points available in three home Serie A games, scoring seven goals and giving up just one, so Conte and company can feel confident in their ability to continue winning this weekend.
At Stadio Maradona, history is also in favor of the hosts as Napoli has defeated Como in no fewer than 17 of their 22 prior meetings, accounting for 77% of their top-flight matches.
At the highest level of Italian competition, Como has never before returned with even a single point from 11 trips to Naples, although they did win both games when the clubs last faced off in Serie B, about 20 years ago.
This time, a team revitalized by aspirational new owners will look to buck the pattern, having only lately begun to establish themselves in Serie A.
Como, who had just won their first league game in twenty-one years, defeated Hellas Verona 3-2 in a fierce battle to extend their winning run to three games.
At Stadio Sinigaglia, the hosts' in-form striker Patrick Cutrone scored twice, and Andrea Belotti finally broke his goal drought. With eight points, they are now up to 10th in the standings.
Cesc Fabregas will be happy to see Como finally settle into a groove ahead of his reunion with former Chelsea coach Conte. This is only the second time in history that Como has scored three goals in a row in Serie A play, having last done so in the 1951–52 season.
In order to pull away from the pack and secure first place before the international break, Napoli's resolute rearguard needs to be alert this weekend.
