Torino and Monza open the round as Napoli wait for Roma

The round opens on Friday 23 October at 20:45 CET (19:45 UK, 14:45 ET) with Torino-Monza. It is the first game to watch with the table in hand.

Cagliari look to move on

Cagliari are seventh on 13 points. In Monza they conceded four and scored none. On Saturday 24 October at 15:00 they host Bologna, 15th with 5 points.

Seven rounds in, numbers like these are not enough to judge a team. For Cagliari, though, it is the first chance to show whether the 0-4 was a one-off. At the same time Como, fifth on 14, host Sassuolo, 13th on 8.

Sunday's games

The rest of the group above us plays on Sunday 25 October. Frosinone, sixth on 13, go to Atalanta, 11th on 9. At 18:00 Juventus, eighth and just one point ahead of Napoli, visit Lecce, who have 9 points. Udinese-Milan closes the round at 20:45: Milan are fourth on 15, Udinese 16th on 4.

At the top

Lazio are second on 19 points, level with Inter. They host Parma at 20:45 on Saturday. Parma are second from bottom on 4 and lost 3-0 at home to Torino. That game comes after ours, so by the time Lazio kick off, we will already know the result at the Maradona.

Where Napoli stand

The maths is simple. Napoli are ninth on 10, with Juventus one point above and Cagliari and Frosinone three points clear.

The game that matters most is our own, though: Napoli-Roma on Saturday at 18:00. Roma are third on 17, seven points ahead. Results elsewhere can make the queue in front of us longer or shorter, but we have no say in those.

The only thing in Napoli's hands is the Roma game. It is October and we sit behind Como, Frosinone and Cagliari. With this squad, that is not an acceptable place to be.