Napoli walk into this one with the swagger of a side that knows the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona is a fortress. Under Daniele De Rossi, they’ve kept the 4-3-3 shape that made them champions, and the midfield trio of Lobotka, McTominay, and Anguissa is the kind of engine room that chews up opponents and spits them out. Recent results have been patchy — a couple of wobbles away from home, a draw that felt like a loss — but at home, they’re a different animal. The crowd noise, the pitch, the rhythm: it all clicks. De Rossi has doubts in the lineup, but that’s just noise. The spine is intact, and the attacking trio of Vitinha, Colombo, and Baldanzi has the movement to knife through any backline.

Como, meanwhile, are the plucky upstarts who’ve earned their seat at the big table. Cesc Fabregas has them playing his brand of football — brave, progressive, easy on the eye — and they’ve just come off a 1-1 draw at Udinese on Matchday 1, with four new signings debuting. That’s momentum, but it’s also a warning sign. They’re still gelling, still learning each other’s runs, and away from home against a top-four side, that’s a recipe for being picked apart. They’ve got Morata and Nico Paz in the building, and Liberali joining from Catanzaro adds flair, but this is a team that’s still finding its feet. The H2H record is interesting — Como have won three of the last seven against Napoli — but those wins came when Napoli were in transition. This Napoli are not in transition. They’re in pursuit.