Juventus host Napoli in a season-defining clash, which could simultaneously decide the Old Lady’s chances for the top four and the champions’ chances of defending their title.
Juventus suffered a major setback when they lost 1-0 to Cagliari a week ago and now sit three points behind the top four, and with the toughest task in Matchday 22.
The Old Lady bounced back with an outright win over Benfica in the Champions League and will try to do the same against a team that hasn’t tasted defeat in nine consecutive matches.
The one positive is that all of Napoli’s four Serie A defeats this season came on the road. And given that Juventus are unbeaten at home, this is beginning to look like a potential match of the season contender.
The Champions produced one of their worst performances of the season when they travelled to FC Copenhagen midweek. The Partenopei received the gift of playing against 10 men, as Thomas Delaney saw red in the 34th minute.
Napoli responded with an immediate goal, courtesy of Scott McTominay, but somehow couldn’t close the match. As a result, Copenhagen were given a penalty and equalised for the final 1-1.
As for their Serie A exploits, the Partenopei are six points behind the leaders, primarily due to their three draws in four rounds. And overall, Antonio Conte’s side has struggled on the road this season, which could boost Juventus’ confidence.
How the bookies view it: Are Juventus really that much better?
While Napoli are the defending champions and one of the favourites for this year’s Scudetto, bookmakers believe they are at a significant disadvantage in this matchup. In fact, the odds almost feel wrong being this far apart.
You can currently back Juventus at just 21/20, while Napoli are available at 31/10. Alternatively, you can back a draw at 11/5.
Recent head-to-head: Napoli won a lot, but rarely on the road
As Napoli have been a far more successful side in recent years, it is logical that they had the upper hand in the recent H2Hs too. The Partenopei have won six of the last 10 Serie A meetings, but their away stats are far from positive.
The champions have won only three of their last 15 visits to the Allianz Stadium, while losing a whopping 10 times (D2). Should Antonio Conte’s side win, it will be the Italian’s first career win away at Juventus too.
Players to watch: Can Lukaku score on his return?
Napoli’s fans can breathe a sigh of relief as Romelu Lukaku could make his first appearance for the team this season. We don’t imagine Conte will risk bringing him on from the start, but we may see the Belgian in the second half.
Meanwhile, Juventus have a new star in the making, as 27-year-old Weston McKennie scored his third goal in five games midweek. He is clearly at his best in front of his home crowd, as he has scored all of his Serie A goals at the Allianz Arena.
Probable line-ups
Juventus: Di Gregorio, Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly, McKennie, Locatelli, Thuram, Cambiaso, Conceicao, Yildiz, David
Napoli: Milinkovic-Savic, Jesus, Buongiorno, Beukema, Di Lorenzo, Lobotka, McTominay, Olivera, Elmas, Vergara, Hojlund
Anything else catch the eye?
There is a reason why bookmakers back Juventus in this matchup. Even if we don’t consider Napoli’s questionable form, their injury list has grown worryingly long, and they also lost Spinazzola during their midweek fixture.
This, and the four draws in five games, makes us believe the champions will have a hard time beating this Juventus side, which remains unbeaten at home across all competitions this season.
This is an extremely hard fixture to predict, but given that Napoli have no more room for errors, we can at least expect a draw at full-time. And regardless of the outcome, we should see at least one goal from both sides.
Think both sides will find the net? Our BTTS Masterclass explains how to spot the fixtures where goals are a given.
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