Napoli's march to glory rouses southern spirit

Club's imminent triumph underlines Italy's regional divide

Napoli fans are counting down the days until their team finally ends a three-decade Serie A title drought and takes the crown back down south after decades of dominance from the big clubs of the country's richer North.

The Scudetto (championship) will come to southern Italy's biggest club and city for the first time since 1990, when Serie A was widely considered the best league in the world and Diego Maradona was still strutting his stuff in Naples.

A 17-point lead at the top of the division with seven matches remaining means the question is when, rather than if, Napoli will claim the title. Napoli will be crowned champion this weekend if it beats regional rival Salernitana and Lazio fails to win at Inter Milan.