Napoli boss Massimiliano Allegri says his side's clash against Roma will not "make or break" the season as they continue their search for form in Serie A.
Napoli's stuttering start to the campaign continued after they suffered their third defeat of the season in a 1-0 loss to Venezia last time out.
They will welcome Roma, who are currently unbeaten having won five of their opening seven matches, to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Saturday.
Napoli are already nine points behind league leaders Inter Milan and a fourth defeat of the campaign could see that margin extend.
Allegri said: "Tomorrow we've got an important match against a team who've been performing well since last season. It's a high-stakes encounter, but it's not going to make or break the campaign.
"It won't be a decisive match, but it's certainly an important one, even though we're only eight games into this season.
"It would mean a lot if we found some balance, because that could help us go on a good run and climb up the table. It's sure to be a very intense match. We'll need to be ready to deal with a lot of energy."
"We know that it'll be a difficult challenge, but we're also confident in what we have to offer and we want to give a good account of ourselves."
Midfielder Scott McTominay has returned to the fold following open heart surgery and completed 90 minutes in Napoli's 4-3 Champions League victory over Bodo/Glimt, scoring twice.
Despite starting in both matches against Venezia and Bodo/Glimt, Allegri knows the importance of managing the Scotland international's minutes.
He added: "We're gradually welcoming some key players back into the fold, such as [Scott] McTominay and [Frank] Anguissa, but they're not quite ready for a full 90 minutes yet.
"We'll need to play our cards right and have the rub of the green to help them return to peak fitness, even if they end up only playing a portion of this match."