The clash between Napoli and Juventus at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona will be even more intense for Arkadiusz Milik, who will not be well received in the Campania capital.
The Polish striker previously spent four and a half years of his career with the Partenopei from August 2016 to January 2021, scoring 48 goals across 122 appearances.
An oft-frustrating figure with Napoli, Milik never managed to truly live up to his potential at the club and joined Olympique Marseille in 2021, initially on loan before making the move permanent.
Milik returned to Italy last summer, joining Napoli’s bitter rivals Juventus on a loan deal with a buy option attached. He made clear his long-standing desire to join the Old Lady, something that was not particularly appreciated by the Partenopei faithful.
His move to Juventus is reminiscent of Gonzalo Higuain’s infamous €90m transfer from Naples to Turin in the summer of 2016, a deal that felt like pure betrayal for the fans in the Campania capital.
The Argentinian striker faced his former side eight times with Juventus, winning four games and drawing one. In that time, he netted six goals, two of which secured wins for the Old Lady.
Milik has never faced Napoli before in his career and his first experience of it will be fiery, with the fans expected to send him a strong message during the clash at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
The Polish striker will be keen to show his best on the pitch, letting the Napoli fans know what they missed out on and further increasing Juventus’ inflation with him. He has already scored seven goals in 19 appearances for the club and seems set to earn a permanent move to Turin at the end of the season.