Juventus and Napoli will meet on Wednesday night in Serie A to make up a previously postponed game. The match was originally set for the autumn, but Napoli were unable to travel due to COVID-19 restrictions.
It was originally believed that Juventus would be gifted three points due to a forfeit. However, the game will now be played with Napoli having the chance to leapfrog Juventus in the standings.
The archrivals are level on points with 56 going into the midweek fixture. Juventus are fourth thanks to a slightly better goal difference.
Andrea Pirlo’s team have been disappointing this term. Juventus’s unbalanced squad relies heavily on Cristiano Ronaldo to score and create goals.
Napoli are flying high in the league currently. They have won four straight games under Gennaro Gattuso while Juventus are winless in back-to-back games.
When these teams met in Naples in February, a first-half Lorenzo Insigne penalty settled matters as Napoli won 1-0. The home team are unbeaten in five straight games in all competitions between the archrivals.
Pirlo has two defensive injury worries heading into the game. Centre-backs Leonardo Bonucci and Merih Demiral could both miss the game after testing positive for COVID-19.
The coach won't have Paulo Dybala back in the team according to the latest reports.
Dybala, Arthur, and Weston McKennie have been suspended by the club due to breaching COVID-19 rules. Reports indicate Dybala will be sold now.
Napoli players Diego Demme and Faouzi Ghoulam are both expected to miss the fixture due to their respective injuries. Gattuso doesn’t have too many player issues to cause any real problems on Wednesday night.
Reports in Italy continue to claim Gattuso will exit Napoli at the end of the season. Fiorentina are in the market for the coach according to reports on Tuesday.
Juventus have won the last two games against Napoli played at the Allianz Arena in Serie A. Last season, the Old Lady won 4-3 in a wild game in Turin.
Napoli will want nothing more than to defeat their hated northern rivals, but a victory may not be on the cards.
Juventus had Napoli’s number in the last two matches in Turin and should make it a third win in a row at the Allianz Arena. Ronaldo could pop up once more to lead the Old Lady through.
They need him to have a big game and end the team’s two-game winless streak in Serie A.
Expect both teams to score and over 2.5 goals. It could be another wild game like last season’s match in Turin.