As Naples painted in blue, Neapolitans waited for the weekend Serie A matches, hoping to celebrate their third Scudetto on Sunday (April 30).

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Runaway Serie A leaders Napoli could seal their third Scudetto in record fashion this weekend if they beat lowly visitors Salernitana and second-placed Lazio drop points at Inter Milan.

Their clash with Salernitana was moved to Sunday from Saturday (April 29) for security reasons, authorities said late on Thursday (April 27).

Earlier in the day, eager fans watched the city gear up for a celebration it hasn’t enjoyed since the Argentine soccer legend, Diego Armando Maradona, was at his peak more than 30 years ago.

“It is very emotional because we were in our twenties the last time we won the title,” resident Giuseppe told Reuters as he showed a photo of the city decorated for celebrations of the second title 33 years ago.

As Neapolitans already celebrate the third Scudetto — literally “shield” — as the Italian league title is known, many see it as revenge on the wealthy northern cities of Turin and Milan, whose teams Juventus, Inter, and AC Milan have dominated Serie A for the past three decades.

We are living a big dream because our generation has been waiting for such success for years. Taking the title from the shirts of such a strong team (referring to AC Milan) and winning it here in the south, in Naples,” a Naples resident Antonio said.

If Napoli wins the title, the first celebrations will take place in the Maradona stadium on Sunday, Italy’s Ansa news agency reported, adding additional police forces will be deployed in the city to maintain security.

With the title inevitable for Napoli at some point in the season, it will see Italia with four different champions in four years. The Italian title was last defended in 2020 when Juventus won their ninth consecutive Scudetto.

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