After their first meeting of the season got postponed amid controversial circumstances, newly found rivals Juventus will take on Napoli. The match schedules for Wednesday at Allianz Arena, with kickoff at 8:45 pm.
Juventus will have been gearing up for a Champions League quarter-finals tie, but they fell out on home goals against Porto. They head into the clash on the back of Juve’s Supercoppa Italiana triumph; the Partenopei picked up a 1-0 home win back in February. The side locked together on points while fighting for a spot in the Champions League.
Serie A heavyweights convene for the third time this term. The first encounter between the two sides was postponed when Napoli failed to turn up when Neapolitan health authorities quarantined the squad.
The opponents faced a rising case of rivalry that dates back to the days of Diego Maradona. The rivalry sets to come back alive, with potential consequences coming with their bid for a Champions League spot.
Juventus come into the game in a period of underwhelming form with struggling coach Andre Pirlo. However, the Binaconerri battled to salvage a 2-2 draw at the weekend. There continues to be a growing question over the future of Pirlo with his maestro days in the dugout.
In preparation for their long-anticipated comeback to Turin, Napoli came through a second-half scare with their dramatic 4-3 win over relegation-haunted Crotone on Saturday.
Juventus vs. Napoli Head to Head
Both sides have 38 games against each other, with Juventus taking 20 wins while Napoli with 14 wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
Torino 2-2 Juventus
Juventus 0-1 Benevento
Cagliari 1-3 Juventus
Juventus 3-2 FC Porto
Juventus 3-1 Lazio
Away
Napoli 4-3 Crotone
Roma 0-2 Napoli
Milan 0-1 Napoli
Napoli 3-1 Bologna
Sassuolo 3-3 Napoli
Juventus Team News
Central defenders Leandro Bonucci and Merih Demiral both tested positive for coronavirus and remain unavailable for selection. Therefore, both Matthijs De Ligt and Giorgio Chiellini should continue at the heart of host’s back four. The dynamic trio of Weston McKennie, Paulo Dybala and Arthur could make their way into the starting lineup.
Napoli Team News
Despite Matteo Politano excelling in recent weeks, Gatusso might choose to include winger Hirving Lozano given his opposition defence abilities. Kalidou Koulibaly returns from suspension, thus replacing out-of-form Nikola Maksimovic alongside Kostas Manolas at the back.
Prediction and Odds
It is a competition between the visitors attacking form against home defence prowess to make a highly entertaining match.
Draw
Both Teams to Score
Goals Under 2.5
