Juventus vs Napoli: Preview and Prediction

Juventus vs Napoli
Italian Serie A.
Date: Saturday, 29 October 2016
Kick-Off: 19:45 UK,
Venue: Juventus Stadium (Turin).

Calcio fans worldwide will be in for a treat as bitter rivals Juventus and Napoli clash at Juventus Stadium on Saturday evening.

It’s a match featuring north vs. south, and due to the animosity between fans, Partenopei supporters will not be allowed to attend. Last season saw Napoli in pole position to end their 26-year wait for a Scudetto title, only to suffer a collapse and have to watch Juventus overtake them en route to a fifth straight title.

Then, of course, was the controversial move of Gonzalo Higuain to Juventus. After setting a goal-scoring seasonal record with Napoli, the Argentinian star decided that heading up north would provide him with a better chance at winning some major titles – much to the rage of passionate Napoli supporters in Italy and around the world.

All eyes, of course, will be on Higuain as he takes on his former teammates for the first time. Both teams will be coming into this game having won their respective fixtures. Juventus suffered a surprise 1-0 loss to AC Milan last weekend, which marked Massimiliano Allegri’s first defeat to his former side since being fired in January 2014. However, they rebounded by thrashing Sampdoria 4-1, which saw returning defender Giorgio Chiellini grab a rare brace to remain two points ahead of the chasing pack.

Meanwhile, Napoli also picked up all three points in their tie with Empoli, which so happens to be Maurizio Sarri’s former side. The Partenopei had hit a bump as they lost three straight games across all competitions, but now have strung together back-to-back victories in the league and will love nothing but to make it a third straight win on the trot as they take on Juventus this weekend.

Currently ranked first and third respectively, Napoli will not overtake Juventus with a win, but they will cut La Vecchia Signora’s four point lead to just one. Will Higuain, who has netted six but none in his past two games, find the back of the net against his former side?

Juventus vs Napoli: Head-to-head statistics

• Juventus have won 16, drawn three, and lost one of their last 20 home games against teams in the top half of the table.
• Napoli have won seven, drawn four, and lost nine of their last 20 away games against teams in the top half of the table.
• The Bianconeri have scored at least two goals in their last nine games at Juventus Stadium.
• The Partenopei beat Juventus last year (September 26th) but have not beaten them in Turin since October 31, 2009.
• Napoli have only won AND kept a clean sheet in one away Serie A fixture this season (3-0 vs. Palermo on September 10th).
• Juventus have been winning at half-time AND full-time in 10 out of their last 11 Serie A games at Juventus Stadium.
• There have been over 2.5 goals in Juve’s last six league home games

Juventus vs Napoli: Prediction

Last weekend, it was Juventus vs. AC Milan, and this weekend, calcio fans are lucky yet again as they will get to witness one of the strongest rivalries in action on Saturday. Napoli have recovered somewhat from their winless slump, but the Partenopei are still yet to fully reproduce last season’s excellence. Whether they want to admit it or not, the departure of Gonzalo Higuain has left a huge hole in attack.

And the man brought in to replace him, Arkadiusz Milik, is out until next year due to a knee injury. It’s a rather unfortunate occurrence as the Polish international had started off quite well in his new surroundings. As for Juventus, they will have to deal with the absence of veteran defender Patrice Evra as well as Paulo Dybala. This means in attack it will be Higuain again paired with Mario Mandzukic, the latter of whom finally opened his account against Sampdoria in midweek. Although most neutral fans will want to see Napoli win here, the Partenopei will find it tough to defeat a team who are virtually unstoppable at home. Expect a victory, then, for the Bianconeri, but Napoli will surely give them a tough fight.

Juventus vs Napoli: Betting tips

Over 2.5 goals at 11/10 (2.10)
Both teams to score – YES at 10/11 (1.91)
Double chance – Juventus to win or draw at 1/5 (1.20).