Juventus is expected to face a litmus test this Friday in their Serie A title campaign when they welcome defending champions SSC Napoli.
The Old Lady have continued to overcome on and off the pitch challenges as they seek to reclaim their first title since the 2019/2020 season.
Juve sit second in the highly competitive league with 33 points, two less than Inter Milan. The Massimiliano Allegri coached side have only lost once this season and would be seeking to avoid another defeat at a time when they are very close to the helm of the log.
Meanwhile, Napoli have not been themselves since convincingly lifting the title last season. They currently occupy fifth position on 24 points, and they will need a miracle to catch up with the other top clubs and reclaim the coveted title.
The Partenopei, who have struggled to find goals this season, travel to Turin on the back of a 3-0 humiliating defeat in the hands of Inter at their own turf.
Here is everything you need to know about the special clash.
What time does Juventus vs Napoli start?
The match is scheduled to start from 10:45 pm Tanzanian time at Allianz Stadium.
Juventus vs Napoli Team News
Both clubs go into Friday’s game with a few injury issues but two Juventus players are serving a ban.
The hosts will be without Paul Pogba and Nicolo Fagioli who were recently suspended for using performance enhancement substances and breaching betting regulations respectively.
United States international Timothy Weah (thigh) and experienced defender Mattia De Sciglio (knee) will also be unavailable due to injuries.
On the other hand, Napoli will miss the services of Mario Rui (hamstring) and Mathias Olivera (left knee).
Walter Mazzarri, who took the managerial position in November after the club parted ways with Rudi Garcia, is also likely to be without Italian right-back Alessandro Zanoli for the crunch tie.
Possible Starting Lineups
Juventus: Szczęsny, Gatti, Sandro, Bremer, Cambiaso, Mckennie, Rabiot, Nicolussi, Chiesa, Kostic, Vlahovic
Napoli: Meret, Natan, Rrahmani, Di Lorenzo, Anguissa, Elmas, Lobotka, Politano, Kvaratskhelia, Osimhen
Juventus vs Napoli head-to-head
The Old Lady and Napoli have squared it out 17 times across all competitions since 2017, with Juve registering seven wins. Four of those clashes ended in a draw including two barren ones.
In the recent five meetings between the two clubs, Napoli have dominated, winning three of them with one of those matches ending in a 5 – 1 score line.
The Partenopei narrowly beat Juventus 1 – 0 at the Allianz Stadium in the last meeting played in April with Giacomo Raspadori scoring the goal.
Juventus: 7
Draws: 4
Napoli: 6
Juventus vs Napoli Current Form
Juventus are on a nine match unbeaten run, with their last game ending in a 2 – 1 win away to Monza. French midfielder Adrien Rabiot and Federico Gatti found the back of the net for Juve in that epic clash which witnessed late drama while Monza’s goal came courtesy of Valentin Carboni.
As for Napoli, they have only won one game in their recent five matches with that victory coming against Atlanta on Saturday, November 25.
Juventus: WWWDW
Napoli: DLWLL
Juventus vs Napoli Prediction
After finally discovering their form under the tutelage of Allegri, the Bianconeri are the favorites going into the match.
However, Napoli have been a hard nut for Juve to crack in recent games and they will not make it easy for the record Serie A champions on Friday. The match promises to be a cracker with each of the two sides likely to score a goal.