Gonzalo Higuain faces his former teammates for the first time as Juventus host Napoli in a bitter grudge match for the Scudetto.
It kicks off at the Juventus Stadium in Turin at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT). Follow the build-up and action on the LIVEBLOG.
Gonzalo Higuain faces his former teammates for the first time as Juventus host Napoli in a bitter grudge match for the Scudetto.
It kicks off at the Juventus Stadium in Turin at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT). Follow the build-up and action on the LIVEBLOG.
There was already a tense rivalry between these sides and they fought it out for the Serie A title last season, but Higuain leaving for the ‘hated’ northern cousins made him persona non grata in Naples.
Pipita comes face to face with his former teammates for the first time and Coach Maurizio Sarri said he’d greet the Argentine “like a son who made me angry.”
Kalidou Koulibaly already pledged to give Higuain a rough ride today, but with Raul Albiol injured, he is partnered by Vlad Chiriches rather than €25m summer signing Nikola Maksimovic.
There is also a change in midfield, where Jorginho is benched in favour of Amadou Diawara.
Manolo Gabbiadini is suspended and Arkadiusz Milik out for at least four months, so Napoli are again forced to use Dries Mertens as a False Nine, flanked by Lorenzo Insigne and Jose Callejon.
Juventus miss Paulo Dybala and Marko Pjaca, so Mario Mandzukic partners Higuain in an unusual double centre-forward system.
Claudio Marchisio made his comeback after six months in Wednesday’s 4-1 win over Sampdoria, but is not risked for a second consecutive start.
Hernanes gets the nod ahead of Mario Lemina in that midfield role.
Napoli have lost their last five Serie A fixtures hosted by Juventus, drawing 2-2 in May 2011 and not winning since a 3-2 thriller in October 2009.
In these five visits, the Partenopei conceded 12 goals and scored just one.
Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Khedira, Hernanes, Pjanic, Alex Sandro; Higuain, Mandzukic
Juventus bench: Neto, Benatia, Cuadrado, Marchisio, Lemina, Asamoah, Dani Alves, Rugani, Sturaro, Audero, Evra, Kean
Napoli: Reina; Hysaj, Chiriches, Koulibaly, Ghoulam; Allan, Diawara, Hamsik; Callejon, Mertens, L Insigne
Napoli bench: Rafael, Sepe, Maksimovic, Tonelli, Maggio, Strinic, Jorginho, Rog, Zielinski, Giaccherini, R Insigne, El Kaddouri