NAPOLI starting XI (4-3-3): Meret , Di Lorenzo , Rrhamani , Juan Jesus , Spinazzola  (subbed for Mazzocchi), McTominay  (subbed for Raspadori), Lobotka , Anguissa , Politano  (subbed for Ngonge), Lukaku  (subbed for Simeone), Neres (subbed for Zerbin)

Bench: Contini, Scuffet, Gilmour, Marin, Hasa

Goals: Montipò (OG) 5’, Anguissa 61’

VERONA starting XI (3-4-1-2): Montipò, Magnani, Coppola, Dawidowicz, Faraoni (subbed for Daniliuc), Duda, Belahyane (subbed for Mosquera), Lazovic (subbed for Bradaric), Suslov, Tengstedt (subbed for Kastanos), Sarr (subbed for Livramento)

Bench: Berardi, Perilli, Lambourde, Okou, Sishuba, Dani Silva, Alidou, Ajayi, Cisse, Corradi

Napoli coach Antonio Conte confirmed the previous day that Kvaratskhelia - nicknamed “Kvaradona” by the fans in homage to Diego Maradona - had asked to leave the club, with Paris Saint-Germain the likely destination.

His teammates did not let the controversy affect them as they beat lowly Hellas Verona 2-0 on Sunday to move four points clear of Inter Milan after the defending champions moved into second place earlier with a 1-0 win at Venezia.

Atalanta were third after they were held 0-0 at Udinese on Saturday. Inter have played two fewer matches than Napoli and one less than Atalanta.

Kvaratskhelia was out of Sunday’s match in Naples through injury anyway, saving Conte from a perhaps difficult choice.

Verona had beaten Napoli 3-0 in Conte’s first league match in charge.

But there was no such danger this time as Napoli took the lead in the fifth minute. Giovanni Di Lorenzo played a one-two with Romelu Lukaku and then curled in a shot that hit the left post and went in off Lorenzo Montipò’s back, going down as an own goal from the Verona goalkeeper.

Frank Anguissa scored a spectacular goal in the 61st minute as he cut inside from the right, played a one-two with Lukaku and then drove the ball powerfully into the near side of the net from outside the area.

AAP

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