Napoli vs Juventus
If you had said at the start of the Serie A campaign that this early March meeting would be between the sides placed eighth and second, you wouldn’t have believed me.
Ok, so the second spot that Juventus currently hold is no surprise. They were expected to be amongst the top four this term, especially with no European exertions to concern them.
However, few people saw the reigning champions languishing in midtable.
On saying that, eight more points would put them in a top four position so the race for the Champions League spots is not over.
Talking Points
For a number of seasons this was THE fixture in Serie A.
Juventus were champions for nine years in a row up to and including 2019-20, while Napoli were runners-up in three out of four of those seasons.
The giant ‘old lady’ of Turin against the smaller, plucky Partenopei who finally secured the title which the passionate hotbed of Naples craved last season when Luciano Spalletti, Victor Osimhen & co earned them their first and only Scudetto since those Serie A highlights inspired by the late, great Diego Maradona.
It’s not gone so well since.
A fortnight ago Slovakian Francesco Calzona was brought in on a short-term contract to replace Walter Mazzarri and become Napoli’s third manager this season.
Following the dismissal of Rudi Garcia in November, the arrival of Mazzarri did not lead to an upturn in form, with the coach managing just six wins across his 17 games in charge.
Oh, how they must yearn for title-winning Spalletti without all the baggage and speculation.
In fairness, the new boss has settled things down since his arrival, a 1-1 Champions League draw with Barcelona followed by a 1-1 draw at Cagliari and a midweek hammering of Sassuolo who they hit for six.
That was when Nigerian striker Osimhen netted a hat-trick and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia struck twice (Amir Rrahmani grabbed the other) – two players who were pivotal in their title success last term.
If they can rediscover their form from then Juve should be wary.
The two games during the next week, however, will point to whether a corner has been turned or the inconsistency of a futile title defence remains.
They also have a Champions League tie in midweek which they may well have one eye on.
Not that Juve can be too positive about life themselves.
Since losing the top of the table clash to now runaway leaders Inter Milan in early February, Max Allegri’s men have struggled with a home defeat to Udinese followed by a draw at lowly Hellas Verona.
Even their 3-2 home victory over Frosinone last weekend was far from convincing and, while they should be safe for a top four finish, their title hopes seem all but over with Inter pulling away at the summit.
What’s more, they suffered a further blow this week with the news that midfielder Paul Pogba may never play for the club again.
That’s after he was handed a four-year ban from football on Thursday for a doping offence.
Pogba, who will be almost 35 when the ban ends, said he would appeal to the court of arbitration for sport over what he called an “incorrect” verdict and that the “full story” was not known.
The French midfielder was provisionally suspended by Italy’s national anti-doping body at a tribunal in September last year. Pogba tested positive for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) – a banned substance that can raise testosterone – after Juventus’s 3-0 league win at Udinese in August and a further sample confirmed the positive result in October.
Ahead of the game, Napoli’s winter recruit Cyril Ngonge is a doubt and midfielder Jens Cajuste has also been ruled out for a few weeks with a muscular injury in his right thigh.
Adrien Rabiot and Weston McKennie are among a number of Juve absentees.
In addition, Federico Chiesa is still feeling the effects of a training ground incident with Alex Sandro on Wednesday.
The Italy international was on the receiving end of an accidentally strong challenge from his teammate, which caused Chiesa to sit out of Thursday’s session at the Juventus Training Centre.
On a brighter note for Allegri, Moise Kean is back in training.
History
Napoli fans won’t need reminding what happened in this fixture last season.
It was one of the most memorable matches in their title-winning campaign as they romped to a 5-1 success with Osimhen (two), Kvaratskhelia (who also set up three of the goals), Rrahmani and Eljif Elmas the marksmen.
Ángel Di María scored the Juve consolation.
The champions actually enjoyed a league double over their rivals last term with a last minute Giacomo Raspadori goal enough to win the league match in Turin.
A Federico Gatti header earned Juve a 1-0 home success earlier this season.
Napoli have actually won their last four home matches against Juventus and five of the last eight with two Juventus wins and a draw.
Overall, Juventus have 80 victories – exactly twice as many as Napoli (40) – in all competitions with a further 53 draws.
Betting Tip
I think this has got a draw written all over it which is why my ** prediction with the SBOTOP Serie A betting odds is 1X2 Draw @ 2.96.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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