Diego Maradona is confident Napoli can end their long wait for the Serie A title this season, though he admits the form of Juventus is a concern.

Maurizio Sarri's side lead the standings by two points after 22 matches and are on course to claim their first Scudetto since Maradona inspired them to success in the 1989-90 season.

Juve started the campaign in disappointing fashion but have won 12 matches in a row to rocket up the table into second place ahead of their clash with Genoa on Wednesday.

And Maradona, who issued an apology to Sarri earlier this season after initially criticising his appointment as Rafael Benitez's successor, concedes it will be tough to stop the champions if their run continues.

"This can be the year that Napoli wins the title," Maradona said at the Dubai Tour cycling event in the United Arab Emirates. "They are playing very well and can count on the goals of [Gonzalo] Higuain.

"Of course it's not all just about him as there are players like [Lorenzo] Insigne, [Dries] Mertens and [Kalidou] Koulibaly who are also impressing. The whole of the Napoli team are doing well.

"But the problem for Napoli is Juventus. They are winning every match at the moment. If they continue like this then it will be very tough for Napoli."

Napoli travel to the capital to face Lazio on Wednesday.