Scott McTominay: Scottish midfielder in race to face Atalanta for Napoli live on BBC Alba

McTominay excelled in the attacking role assigned to him by coach Antonio Conte.

He added: “In Naples, I improved tactically and physically.” “Tactically, Italy is different from the Premier League. I had to adapt and learn very quickly how to play and what movements to make… how to create a problem in the opposition box and also how to defend.

“Antonio is a great coach, very strong, passionate, knows football very well. He is different from anyone else I have worked with in the past.”

He also pointed to Napoli’s long injury list as a factor in why they have fallen further behind the leaders in recent weeks but have yet to concede the title.

If he misses Sunday’s game, it will increase the chances of 24-year-old Gilmour making just his seventh appearance in 14 matches this season as he looks for playing time and adding to his 43 World Cup caps this summer.

With just three wins in 11 matches, nine of them in Serie A, Napoli cannot afford to make any more mistakes if they want to retain their Serie A title.

In fact, with Inter visiting Lecce less than 24 hours away, the Scottish side could find themselves further behind before facing a tough test against the side who finished third in the standings last season.

The home team, Atalanta, lost 2-0 away to Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the Champions League preliminary round last Tuesday, then lost 3-1 in Naples in November.

Sunday’s opponents also won 3-2 on their last visit in January, with McTominay scoring one of the goals.

However, Rafael Palladino’s seventh-placed side have won three in a row domestically, are unbeaten in eight Serie A matches since losing at home to leaders Inter at the end of December, and are just eight points behind Napoli.