Five months ago Gennaro Gattuso was out of work, having stepped down as Italy head coach after the Azzurri failed to reach the 2026 World Cup. In Rome, meanwhile, Maurizio Sarri had just terminated his Lazio contract off the back of a ninth-place finish and a lost Coppa Italia final.

The two stories met when Lazio confirmed Gattuso as head coach on a two-year deal in late June. Ten matches into the league campaign, his side have 28 points from nine wins and a draw, three clear of Inter and alone at the summit for the first time in 16 years. The last Lazio coach to manage that was Edy Reja, whose 2010-11 side led at the same stage before fading to fifth by May.

Away form carrying the lead

The record on the road has done most of the lifting. Lazio have won all five away league fixtures at Bologna, Udinese, Venezia, Juventus and Sassuolo, scoring 14 and conceding three. Their overall goal difference is +16, and twelve different players have found the net across the opening ten rounds.

Round 10 ended with another win, and the league handed Gattuso its coach of the month award for October after a perfect four-win month.

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The Maradona, with Zaccagni out

The first real examination of the lead arrives on Sunday at 12:30pm local time at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Napoli sit eighth with 14 points, 14 off top spot. Massimiliano Allegri took charge in July, succeeding Antonio Conte on a three-year deal.

Gattuso travels without captain Mattia Zaccagni, out injured, and Albert Guðmundsson. He told Football Italia he hoped Zaccagni’s absence would be less than six weeks.

Allegri was once his captain at Perugia in Serie B, and later his head coach at Milan.

“Max was my captain in Serie B and then my coach with Milan. I hope to achieve a quarter of what he’s achieved in his career.”

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He was more matter-of-fact about what the fixture is worth to his own side.

“It will be a final for us too, playing at the Maradona is always a special feeling.”

Lazio have three Serie A fixtures before the next international break, beginning in Naples.

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