Napoli v Roma: Gasperini without Dybala and Pellegrini as Roma chase 20 points

Roma travel to the Maradona on Saturday at 18:00 without Paulo Dybala and Lorenzo Pellegrini, as Gian Piero Gasperini's side try to stay level with the pace at the top of Serie A. Roma are third on 17 points, two behind leaders Inter and Lazio; Massimiliano Allegri's Napoli are ninth on 10, five points off fourth-placed Milan.

Two very different starts

Roma are unbeaten after seven matchdays, with five wins and two draws, and have conceded only three goals, the fewest in the league. According to Corriere dello Sport it is their best start since 2014-15, and a win in Naples would take them to 20 points, their third-best tally after eight games behind 2000-01 and 2013-14. Their last three league games read Roma 2-2 Inter, Como 0-0 Roma and Roma 2-0 Genoa.

Napoli's run is patchier: a 1-1 draw at Fiorentina, a 3-0 home win over Frosinone in which Kevin De Bruyne scored twice, then a 1-0 defeat at Venezia last Saturday.

Both arrive off European wins

On Tuesday Napoli beat Bodø/Glimt 4-3 for their first Champions League win of the campaign, with two goals from Scott McTominay, while Roma won 4-0 against Slovan Bratislava. The two coaches crossed paths on Sky afterwards. "We both arrive in good spirits," said Gasperini. "You needed it less than we did," Allegri replied, before Gasperini cut in: "Come on, that's enough now, let's not overdo it."

Roma's attack is down to the bone

Gasperini confirmed Dybala's muscle problem was worse than hoped. "I was hoping for a quicker recovery: the scans showed a small lesion. It will take a few more weeks," he said. Pellegrini is also out with a muscle problem. "I don't think it's serious, but it always takes 20 days with a muscle problem," Gasperini said, adding that "if we don't get Dybala back, we are short of numbers." Manu Koné is also out with a thigh injury.

Corriere dello Sport expects Matías Soulé on the right, Mora on the left and Donyell Malen through the middle. Malen, back after serving a one-match ban against Genoa, has six league goals, second only to Frosinone's Raimondo.

Allegri's changes

Napoli are without Alessandro Buongiorno, David Neres, Alisson Santos and Costantino Favasuli, Il Mattino reports, while Antonio Vergara is close to a return but more likely to be ready for the midweek trip to Monza. Corriere dello Sport expects three changes from the Bodø win: Stanislav Lobotka back in midfield, Benoît Badiashile and Mathías Olivera in defence. The open question is whether De Bruyne, who played as the deep playmaker on Tuesday, stays there or moves up behind Rasmus Højlund.