Napoli take on Juventus tonight in a Serie A blockbuster clash pitting the hopeful league leaders against the perennial threat from Turin. Here are answers to five questions you may have.
Napoli vs Juventus: probable line-ups
What duel is worth keeping an eye on in the match?
The battle between first and second is also a battle of sporting ideologies, with Napoli enjoying a free-flowing brand of football that could leave them exposed and Juventus sticking by a strict defensive set-up, created to grind out result after result.
In this duel, a key on-pitch battle will take place between Napoli ace Victor Osimhen and Juventus striker Arkadiusz Milik, a man who knows the Campania capital well.
The 24-year-old Nigerian forward replaced the Pole in the Partenopei squad back in 2020, prompting the club to send the 28-year-old out to Olympique Marseille on loan. After a positive experience in France, Milik finally made the jump to Juventus, a move he’d wanted since his days in the south of Italy.
Osimhen is the talismanic striker leading the line for Napoli in their Scudetto charge, a star capable of making the fans believe in their chance of winning their first league title since the days of Diego Maradona. The focal point of Luciano Spalletti’s electric attacking system, the 24-year-old will hope to break through the Juventus defence and guide his team to glory.
For Milik, chances will be much more limited with Massimiliano Allegri’s defensive style, but he’ll be hoping to pull one over his old side at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, keen to respond to the likely unwelcome reception he’ll receive in the stadium.
Which key players are unavailable for both Napoli and Juventus?
Napoli have a fully fit squad heading into the match and will field their strongest line-up, deploying important figures like Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Osimhen, Zielinski and Kim Min-Jae.
Juventus are slowly emerging from their injury crisis but still cannot count on a number of first team regulars, including Leonardo Bonucci, Paul Pogba and Dusan Vlahovic. Juan Cuadrado and Mattia De Sciglio are also out.
Why are things tense between Spalletti and Allegri?
The two coaches are not on particularly good terms heading into the match, stemming from a clash between Napoli and Juventus in September 2021. The Partenopei won that match 2-1, and after the game, Allegri accused Spalletti of putting pressure on the referee.
Spalletti was unimpressed with this assessment, telling reporters in his post-match press conference: “Did I cause trouble with the referee? This is incredible, show me when I did. Neither did I. I just wanted to greet him [Allegri]. I ran behind him inside the dressing room.
“We had no issues during the game, I didn’t say anything to him. I’ve always lost. F**k. I win once and he acts superior.”
Allegri did praise Spalletti during his recent pre-match press conference, claiming the Napoli coach “is the best when it comes to teaching football.”
Spalletti, however, looked to silence the Juventus coach’s suggestions that the Old Lady were not the favourites, noting how “they can’t hide“ after recent investments.
Why is Chiesa starting on the bench for Juventus?
Federico Chiesa suffered an anterior cruciate ligament rupture 12 months ago and is only now just making his return to the pitch. The 25-year-old has made a handful of cameo appearances so far this season, playing 122 minutes of action across five games, and is slowly being worked back up to full match fitness.
Allegri does not want to risk Chiesa in a tense and fiery clash, so the Italian winger will start the match on the bench. He could come off in the second half to breathe some life into the Bianconeri as he did on Saturday when he assisted Danilo for a late winner in a 1-0 win against Udinese at the Allianz Stadium.
What does this game mean for the title race?
Heading into tonight’s clash, Napoli sit seven points clear of Juventus at the top of the league table. A win for the Partenopei puts them 10 points ahead, giving them a comfortable cushion over the regular title challengers.
An Old Lady victory could have important ramifications in the title race, closing the gap to Napoli to just four points. It would be a motivating result for Milan, who are also seven points behind the league leaders, and would allow them to close the gap to four points as well should they beat Lecce tomorrow.
Khvicha will shine in this match.