Napoli arrived at the Maradona for the 33rd round of Serie A still bruised by the loss to Parma that ended a run of five consecutive wins, and Antonio Conte had already made clear there would be no easy reset. Before kickoff against Lazio, coached by Maurizio Sarri, the Napoli manager told DAZN that his side’s focus was no longer on a fading title comeback but on defending second place and sealing Champions League qualification.
Conte said Beukema’s omission was a technical choice, adding that Napoli were close to recovering Rrahmani while Di Lorenzo was not ready. With no right-back available, he said, there was little point in trying to force tactical changes for the sake of change, especially with six matches left. Napoli therefore lined up in a 3-4-2-1, with Milinkovic-Savic, Beukema, Buongiorno, Olivera, Politano, Anguissa, Lobotka, Spinazzola, De Bruyne, McTominay and Hojlund in the starting XI, while Lazio set up in a 4-3-3 with Motta, Lazzari, Gila, Romagnoli, Tavares, Basic, Cataldi, Taylor, Cancellieri, Noslin and Zaccagni.
The numbers around the match told the story plainly. Napoli came in after five straight wins had been stopped by Parma, and the gap to Inter was still +12, leaving second place as the best realistic target. Conte said that is why the club’s aim now is not to chase illusions but to get into the Champions League and avoid more mistakes as the season enters its final stretch.
What makes this meeting sharper is the contradiction at the heart of Napoli’s situation. The team is trying to hold its place among Europe’s elite while the squad is still missing pieces, and Conte’s message before facing Lazio was that the answer is not another upheaval in shape or selection. The next test is whether Napoli can back that view on the pitch and turn a damaged spring into a clean finish.
