Juventus begins new life post-Ronaldo this weekend against arch rivals Napoli from the Calcio’s North-South divide. The match schedules for Saturday at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with kickoff at 7 pm.
The Bianconeri started their season on a low note following a defeat to debutants Empoli before the international break. On the other hand, Napoli is two victories into the new season with wins over Venezia and Genoa.
A period of frantic speculation, claim and counter-claim ended with Juventus seeing their attacking talisman leave for Manchester late last month. And events just hours later confirmed that these problems could continue in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Juventus slumped at home against Serie B winners Empoli despite their best efforts to beat the visiting team. This loss came right after a collapse in the second half of last season’s opening match.
The 2021-22 Serie A season was delayed when Napoli failed to show up for the first scheduled match of Juventus. There were fears that there could be a further outbreak in Naples because their entire squad had been quarantined due to an infectious disease.
Even though the Azzurri have only managed to win two matches so far this season, they can still take confidence from their performances in these games. They beat Venezia on an opening day even after being reduced to 10 men for most of the game and then won against Genoa with a late Andrea Petagna strike.
Napoli vs Juventus Head to Head
Both sides have 38 games against each other, with Napoli taking 14 wins while Juventus with 20 wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Napoli 1-5 Benevento
- Genoa 1-2 Napoli
- Napoli 2-0 Venezia
- Napoli 2-1 Ascoli
- Wisla Krakow 1-2 Napoli
Away
- Juventus 0-1 Empoli
- Udinese 2-2 Juventus
- Juventus 3-1 Atalanta
- Barcelona 3-0 Juventus
- Monza 1-2 Juventus
Napoli Team News
Any goalkeeping worries early seem settled after David Ospina passed a late-minute test on featuring between the sticks. Injury absentees at the camp include Stanislav Lobokta and Piotr Zielinski with a muscular injury and knee injury.
Juventus Team News
Max Allegri expects to have Juan Cuadrado back into the starting lineup after international duty with Colombia. Paulo Dybala sets to retain his position in attack. Federico Chiesa will not take part after an injury caution.
Prediction and Odds
This match comes too soon for Juventus to get their house in order and start performing under Allegri.
- Napoli Win
- Goals Over 1.5
- Double Chance
