Napoli will be eager to keep hold of their top spot in the Serie A standings as an inconsistent Juventus come visiting on Saturday.
A gigantic clash awaits Serie A, as two sides in contrasting forms take on each other, with Napoli likely to be the team under more pressure than Juventus. Antonio Conte has dealt with the loss of star attacker Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to PSG and has found solutions that continue to work out while the club works on finding a replacement.
The Partenopei reaffirmed their title credentials with a stellar away win over title rivals Atalanta. Mateo Retegui’s goal put the hosts ahead, and in what was an end-to-end game, Romelu Lukaku turned up with a winner to put the visitors firmly in the driving seat at the top of the table.
Napoli might be three points ahead of second placed Inter Milan, but the latter have a game in hand as well as a much superior goal difference. Hence, this is a pressure situation for Conte, as he will have to prove another point and gain a win over his former side, Juventus, as winning is the only way Napoli stays in the title race.
Meanwhile,, visitors Juventus are the only team unbeaten in Serie A this season, and yet their manager is the one under more pressure than any of his top six peers. The reason has been the amount of games the Bianconeri are not able to win, and the number of draws they have this season.
Eight draws in their last ten league games have been damaging to another level for Juventus in their early bid to be part of the title chase. They are languishing in sixth place, with 13 points behind leaders Napoli in the standings, and that gap could extend with a loss away from home against Conte’s side.
Juventus endured another draw, this time in the UEFA Champions League against Club Brugge. The Bianconeri did manage a win in the league last weekend when hosting AC Milan and probably got their revenge for the Supercoppa Italiana loss in Saudi Arabia. A win in their next game against Napoli will ease some pressure on Motta and bring the Bianconeri back into the mix to challenge the top order.
Team News & Tactics
Napoli
Antonio Conte does not have too many problems with his squad, although he will miss key defender Alessandro Buongiorno. The centre-back has been training again, but for this one, Juan Jesus will once again deputise and partner up alongside Amir Rrahmani.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Mathias Olivera will feature in the full-back areas. Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Scott McTominay will support Stanislav Lobotka in the midfield setup.
Conte will once again depend on David Neres on the left wing following Kvaratskhelia’s exit as the club continues to search for a replacement. Matteo Politano will continue on the right wing, while star man Romelu Lukaku will lead the line for Napoli against a Juventus team he came close to joining back in 2023.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Olivera; Anguisa, Lobotka, McTominay; Politano, Lukaku, Neres
Juventus
Juventus’s injury issues have healed a bit in recent weeks, with only long-term absentees Gleison Bremer, Arkadiusz Milik, and Juan Cabal missing out. There are some transfer speculation surrounding Juventus in the current window with Andrea Cambiaso linked with a move alongside fellow defender Danilo.
Cambiaso is still expected to start in this game ahead of recent starter Weston McKennie. Juventus have agreed a move for Renato Veiga from Chelsea, but the Portuguese is unlikely to make the squad for this weekend. Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram will start in midfield, which does cast doubt on Douglas Luiz’s immediate future amid active links to the Premier League.
Kenan Yildiz, Francisco Conceicao, and Teun Koopmeiners will begin in the attacking setup. Dusan Vlahovic was recently dropped for ‘technical reasons’ and is unlikely to start this one, as new arrival Randal Kolo Muani might get the nod to lead the line for Juventus against Napoli.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Savona, Gatti, Kalulu, Cambiaso; Licatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Yildiz; Kolo Muani
Key Stats
- Napoli have won their last six matches in Serie A.
- Napoli have won their last four home matches against Juventus in all competitions.
- Juventus are undefeated in their last 29 matches in Serie A.
- Juventus have eight draws in their last ten Serie A games.
Player to Watch
Randal Kolo Muani
The Frenchman has arrived on loan from PSG and could be the alternative option that Thiago Motta has been looking for all this while. The out-of-form Dusan Vlahovic will now come under serious pressure if Kolo Muani makes a statement on the pitch with a solid performance against Napoli.
The reason for Kolo Muani to join Juventus has been the potential opening in the front of the attack, and with his arrival, Motta will hope he can begin firing straight away in the game against Napoli.
A solid performance versus the Partenopei will be a first step for Juventus to start considering a change of scenery up front, as the French international will have to prove over many games that he could be their long-term answer to their goalscoring problems.
Prediction
Napoli 2-1 Juventus
Juventus might be the only unbeaten side in Serie A, and in truth, it has been their defensive solidity more than the attacking prowess that has helped them not lose a game. However, they are facing a solid enough opposition in Napoli, and Antonio Conte could mastermind a problematic result for Motta.
Napoli are under severe pressure to maintain their place at the top of the tree, especially with Inter Milan lurking about. They have already shown plenty of mettle and character in their away win to Atalanta, as Conte might have the right quality to engineer a win over his former side and hand Juventus their first loss of the Serie A season. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Conte and his charges.
