Napoli have an opportunity to open a lead at the top of Serie Abet86, while their title rivals are away at the Italian Super Cup in Riyadh. (More Football News)
Inter, Atalanta, Juventus and AC Milan will all be at the competition, meaning their league fixture will be rearranged, while Antonio Conte's side travel to Fiorentina in Serie A.
Napoli are second in the table, level on points with leaders Atalanta on 41, and would move three points clear with a victory.
They come into the fixture in good form as well, having won five of their last six league matches, including three on the spin.
Napoli appear to be playing Fiorentina at a good time too, with their hosts having won just two of their last seven matches in all competitions.
South Korea, meanwhile, are placed fourth in the standings with 6 points, with one win, three draws, and one loss. They were surpassed by China, who secured 2 wins and as many points. Korea’s season began with a 5-5 draw against Japan, followed by a 2-2 draw with Pakistan, their first victory with a 3-2 win over China, 3-1 loss at the hands of India and a 3-3 draw against Malaysia in their final pool match.
wild slotsChen Benhai gave the hosts the lead with a fine field goal in the first quarter following an enterprising team move. But the highlight of the match was Chao Jieming's sensational solo effort in the second quarter.
Fiorentina have also taken just one point from their last three matches, following a run of eight successive league victories. That run has left them fifth in Serie A, trailing fourth-placed Lazio by three points with a game in hand.
The hosts will be without Edoardo Bove, who is still recovering after he collapsed on the pitch earlier in December, while Alessandro Buongiorno will be missing for Napoli.
Full time: #NapoliVenezia 1-0#ForzaNapoliSempre pic.twitter.com/zw5dpUYv2v
— Official SSC Napoli (@en_sscnapoli) December 29, 2024Capitals in contrast
In Rome, both clubs have been enduring vastly different seasons.
Lazio are fourth in Serie A and trail the league leaders by just six points. Roma, meanwhile, are 21 points from the top of the table in 10th and have already got to their third head coach of the season in Claudio Ranieri, who is now in his third spell at the club.
Ranieri took over in November and has overseen just two victories in his six league games in charge. But they have taken four points from their last two matches, including a 5-0 victory over Parma last time out at home, which Ranieri acknowledged was a much-needed morale boost ahead of facing Lazio this weekend.
"When you take over mid-season there is always a bit of confusion, the players’ morale is not at its best. I tried to give them back enthusiasm and a smile," he told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport ahead of Sunday's derby against Lazio.
"Little by little we are coming together: we have done well, but not yet as I would like. The road in football is always uphill.
"In England, they say: 'Rome wasn’t built in day'. No one has a magic wand."
Elsewhere, Ranieri's former club Cagliari face Monzabet86 with both teams currently in the relegation zone. Third-bottom Cagliari have lost four straight league games and won just one in 10, leaving them two points from safety.
Monza, meanwhile, are bottom having accrued just 10 points from 18 matches, winning just once all season. Head coach Salvatore Bochetti began his tenure on Saturday with a 2-1 defeat to Parma, with the losing goal coming in the 98th minute.