Despite a weekend that sees Juventus take on AC Milan, the biggest fixture of the weekend is Napoli’s trip to Atalanta.

The Bianconeri and the Rossoneri might have the history, but all eyes will be on La Dea against the Partenopei, a clash that could have major implications in the title race.

It’s been a contrasting week for both sides with much to think about.

Napoli entered the week atop the Serie A summit following a 2-0 win against Hellas Verona. It was the club’s fifth consecutive win and it kept the pressure on Inter Milan and Atalanta.

Yet the win, like pretty much everything else since, was overshadowed by the news that winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia wanted out of Naples. 

The Georgian had been convinced to stay last summer by incoming coach Antonio Conte, but despite topping the table and constructing a promising side, it appeared Kvaratskhelia wanted out, and out now.

Talks with Paris Saint-Germain commenced and were concluded quickly. The 23-year-old’s salary is set to jump from €1.5m to a colossal €11m in the French capital.

Napoli did offer the winger a contract extension in the summer, yet the player was determined to leave. There is more to the story than what meets the eye, but his decision to leave mid-season has upset fans and somewhat damaged his legacy.

With his deal done, footage was released online of Kvaratskhelia visiting the famous Diego Maradona mural in Quartieri Spagnoli one last time, in the middle of the night. 

For a player who was christened ‘Kvaradona’ by fans, his departure somewhat mirrors Maradona’s own exit in 1991 — abruptly and mid-season. 

Yet the strange irony is that the player, while still the club’s best, hasn’t been integral to the club’s rise to the top of the table. Five goals and three assists from 17 games is hardly world-class form, and you get the sense Napoli will be just fine without the Georgian.

In truth, Kvaratskhelia has never been able to regain the form shown in the first six months of his time in Italy, when he arrived as a relative unknown and blew everyone away with his old school trickery and willingness to take defenders on.

Yet what’s important to Napoli fans now is how the Kvaratskhelia money is spent with, according to reports in Italy, Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho is the club’s main target. 

Whether Napoli use the majority of the Kvaratskhelia sale to fund a move for Garnacho remains to be seen, as club president Aurelio De Laurentiis isn’t one for throwing huge amounts of money around on a single talent. Links to Bologna’s Dan Ndoye and Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi have also surfaced should a move for the Argentine not transpire.

With all the hoopla surrounding Napoli, the last thing Conte probably wanted was an away trip to Bergamo to face Atalanta.

Yet La Dea are going through a mixed patch of form. Three consecutive draws has slightly derailed their title push.

Such has been Gian Piero Gasperini’s work with the club that three draws, two of them against Juventus and Lazio no less, feels like a major setback in their title aspirations. 

Yet Gasperini has long since proved adept in making Atalanta push well above their weight.

After winning 11 straight matches that catapulted Atalanta into the title picture, there was always going to be a period when the wins would dry up. 

Performances haven’t declined, however. Only a goal line clearance from Teun Koopmeiners and some bad finishing from Nicolo Zaniolo prevented a win against Juve on Tuesday evening. 

Moreover, Mateo Retegui returned to the starting XI after a two-game absence and scored his 13th goal of the season. The leading scorer in Serie A will be needed against a Napoli side boasting the meanest defence in the league, with just 12 goals conceded in 20 games. 

The pressure going into the game has been ramped up further with events at San Siro on Wednesday evening. 

Inter’s 2-2 draw with Bologna was wholly unexpected. Inter have been near-on relentless, winning 11 from the last 15 since the Derby della Madonnina defeat to AC Milan in late September. 

That draw has given both Napoli and Atalanta fresh hope in the title race. Had Inter won both games in hand it would’ve made a daunting task trying to catch Simone Inzaghi’s outfit.

It now means both go into Saturday’s clash in a position where they simply can’t afford to lose. Defeat for Atalanta would almost certainly mean the end of their title hopes. A Napoli loss would give Inter the chance to pull level should they emerge victorious against Empoli on Sunday.

Moreover, Conte is still smarting from the 3-0 home defeat to Atalanta in early November, when two goals from Ademola Lookman and one from Retegui ensured yet another Gasperini masterclass. The former Juve coach will feel like he owes his counterpart one.

Either way, the stakes couldn’t be any higher for both. 

In a week that saw Napoli lose their star player and Atalanta stutter, a victory for either side is very much in order. 

Yet the only certainty is that Inzaghi will be watching on, hoping Inter emerge the real winners.