Napoli vs Juventus

One of the most exciting fixtures in the Serie A calendar takes place at Stadio Diego Maradona this weekend as Napoli take on Juventus. 

Napoli pulled off a statement win against fellow Scudetto rivals Atalanta last weekend, running out 3-2 victors in Bergamo to build a six-game winning league streak for the first time since February 2023. ‘I Partenopei’ won the title that year and could replicate that feat this term as they hold a three-point lead on second-placed Inter Milan. However, having played a game more, Antonio Conte’s men can’t rest on their laurels, particularly ahead of Juventus’ visit to the Maradona Stadium, where they’ve won their last three top-flight H2Hs ‘to one.’ They’ve collected a league joint-high 24 points on home turf this season (W8, L2). Scoring first could be a game-defining moment, considering just two of Napoli’s 12 competitive home games this term have seen both teams on the scoresheet.

On the other hand, Juventus failed to build on a morale-boosting 2-0 home league win against bitter rivals AC Milan last weekend, drawing 0-0 with Club Brugge in midweek Champions League action. That was Juve’s seventh stalemate across their eight most recent away matches in all competitions (W1), helping them uphold their unbeaten road record under Thiago Motta. Indeed, Juventus’ last defeat outside Turin dates back to April 2024. Another draw wouldn’t do them much good, as they trail Napoli by a staggering 13 points pre-round. However, that’s a distinct possibility following an uneventful goalless stalemate in September’s reverse fixture. Low scoring has been a common theme in Juventus’ recent away games, as eight of their last nine have featured under 2.5 goals.