Juventus vs Napoli

Allianz Stadium forms the backdrop for a mouth-watering Serie A showdown between Juventus and Napoli.

Juventus received the ultimate confidence booster ahead of this blockbuster clash as they thrashed PSV Eindhoven 3-1 in their curtain-raising Champions League fixture during the week, making amends for back-to-back 0-0 Serie A draws against Roma and Empoli. Thiago Motta’s side kicked off the new league campaign brightly, beating Verona and Como via an identical 3-0 scoreline. Like in the abovementioned win against PSV, they found themselves 2-0 up at halftime in both those victories, highlighting the potential for a quick-fire start. ‘I Bianconeri’ may need nothing less against a Napoli side they’ve trailed at the break in three of their last five encounters in Serie A (W1, D1, L3). If it’s any consolation, the only triumph in that disappointing sequence came in this corresponding fixture in 2023/24 (1-0).

On the other hand, Napoli slumped to a disastrous 3-0 defeat at Verona in Antonio Conte’s touchline debut in Serie A. However, they’ve since hit the ground running, winning three consecutive league matches for the first time since February 2023 to ascend to second in the standings. Napoli’s return to prominence coincides with Romelu Lukaku’s arrival, with the Belgian striker tallying two goals and two assists in wins against Parma (2-1) and Cagliari (4-0). The latter triumph was Napoli’s first ‘to nil’ in away league action since November 2023, when they dispatched Salernitana. That was also the last time they won two straight league matches on the road. After that, they’ve only registered three victories on 14 Serie A travels (D5, L6).