Level on points in the Serie A standings, Napoli and Fiorentina return from European duty to battle it out for victory at Stadio Maradona on Sunday.
In the final fixture before Italy's top flight is paused and international football intervenes, the champions aim to bounce back from an eventful Champions League loss, while their visitors arrive in Naples on a six-match unbeaten streak.
The Italian champions hauled themselves level shortly after the break, as Piotr Zielinski equalised from the penalty spot following a long VAR review. However, Real's Federico Valverde later hammered in a thunderous strike that went into the net via goalkeeper Alex Meret, consigning Napoli to a 3-2 defeat.
Nonetheless, after beating Udinese 4-1 and Lecce 4-0 in their previous two league fixtures - with star striker Victor Osimhen scoring in both - the Partenopei have now racked up no fewer than 10 goals in their last three outings and seem to have shaken off a sluggish start to their title defence.
Fourteen points from seven Serie A matches represents an acceptable haul at this stage, particularly as Rudi Garcia settles into life in the Stadio Maradona dugout after succeeding Scudetto-winning coach Luciano Spalletti during the summer.
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