Napoli and AC Milan Face Contrasting Results Despite Injury Problems

LECCE, TUESDAY — The loss of several key players has not halted Napoli's winning streak. Bringing home a minimal score of 1-0 from Lecce's home ground, Via del Mare Stadium, Wednesday (29/10/2025 WIB), ensures that "The Little Donkey" remains at the top as the month comes to a close.

Napoli secured three points in the ninth week of the Italian League through a tap-in by midfielder Frank Anguissa, capitalizing on a pass from David Neres in the 69th minute. This was the fourth goal for the Cameroonian player. Two goals were scored consecutively in the matches against Lecce and Inter Milan last weekend.

Napoli closed the month of October with a total of 21 points. They are already three points ahead of their closest competitors, AC Milan and AS Roma. Milan was held to a 1-1 draw by Atalanta on Wednesday, while Roma will face Parma on Thursday (30/10/2025). Thanks to their superior goal difference, the Little Donkeys will remain in first place if Roma wins by a margin of three goals against Parma.

Conte stated that the match against Lecce was not easy. Moreover, they had just played an energy-draining match against Inter three days prior.

"I think we should have controlled the final stages of the game better, even though we didn't take many risks. The most important thing, and the most important thing, was the mentality of the whole team," Conte told DAZN after the match.

The mental strength was demonstrated by Napoli when they faced a low point in the 54th minute when Lecce was awarded a penalty. The execution by Francesco Camarda was anticipated by Napoli's goalkeeper, Vanja Milinkovic-Savic. That save became a turning point for the Little Donkey, leading to the decisive goal for three points 15 minutes later.

Injured Kevin De Bruyne, followed by Scott McTominay who was rested for rotation purposes. Billy Gilmour and Eljif Elmas completed the trio of midfielders alongside Anguissa.

The three midfielders helped Napoli control the match in the majority of games. However, without De Bruyne and McTominay, Napoli's attacking strength from the second line was not felt. Gilmour, who played as a defensive midfielder, and Elmas, who served as the number 10 player, failed to create any significant chances.

Furthermore, the performance of the attacking trident was lackluster. Lorenzo Lucca, the tall central striker who occupies the position of Rasmus Hojlund, only produced two shots during his hour on the field.

After the penalty, Conte made three substitutions in the 61st minute. McTominay, Hojlund, and Leonardo Spinazzolla were brought in to enhance the attack. This change in players resulted in a dangerous offensive that led to a solitary goal by Anguissa.

"People forget that we have to make that (rotation). However, when people say we benefited from the injuries of (Romelu) Lukaku and De Bruyne, that is truly an absurd thing I hear," said Conte.

After winning two consecutive matches against Inter and Lecce, Napoli will face a challenging start to November. They are set to encounter six matches that will determine their fate in two competitions, the Italian League and the Champions League.

Little Donkey will be challenged by the rising team, Como, on Saturday (1/11/2025), followed by hosting the German team, Eintracht Frankfurt, in the Champions League. Bologna and Atalanta are the next rivals for Napoli. The matches against these two dark horse teams will be interspersed with international fixtures.

Qarabag and AS Roma are challengers to Napoli at the end of November. These two matches will determine Napoli's fate in advancing to the knockout stage of the Champions League as well as maintaining their position at the top of the Serie A standings.

"We need goals from everyone. It doesn't matter if they come from attackers, midfielders, or defenders," said Conte.

"I need all the players during these difficult times. The most important thing is that we never lose the right spirit," he added.

Meanwhile, AC Milan faced a different fate compared to Napoli amid a similar storm of injuries. Playing at the New Balance Arena, the home of Atalanta, Milan only returned with one point.

The advantage through midfielder Samuelle Ricci in the fourth minute was equalized by Ademola Lookman in the last 10 minutes before halftime. The draw caused "The Red and Black" to fail to maintain a one-point lead over Napoli.

"We had a lot of players out, but overall the team played well," said Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri, as quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Milan has lost four key players, namely Christian Pulisic, Pervis Estupinan, Ardon Jashari, and Adrien Rabiot. The injury crisis has also increasingly struck Milan due to physical issues faced by striker Santiago Gimenez, who could only play for one hour.

"Gimenez suffered a collision, it should not be too serious. Rafael Leao is also not in the best condition due to an issue with his groin. This makes it difficult for him to run fast, so I decided to substitute him in the second half," said Allegri.

He added, "I hope that after the international break, all the players will be back."