What: Italian Serie A
Who: Napoli vs Juventus
When: Sunday 30th March, 2014, at 19:45 UK Time
Where: Stadio San Paolo, Naples, Italy
Matter Of Pride
With eight Serie A rounds remaining before the end of the 2013/14 league season and twenty points separating them from leaders Juventus, it is fair to say that Napoli’s hopes of winning this year’s Scudetto are all but gone. However, second place before the end of the festivities is not an impossible task for Rafael Benitez and his boys as they are just six points off Roma’s pace. A good win against the Bianconeri in front of their own fans might just be what they need.
Napoli do not have a good record against Juventus, as they have just won one of the past six games that pitted the two sides against each other, and that was in May 2012 – almost two years ago. Nonetheless, their San Paolo stadium has been a strong fortress whenever Juventus visited, as the Partenopei won four and drew two of the last six games that were disputed in Naples.
Realising that an assault on second place is still possible, winger Jose Callejon has urged his team-mates to put on a good display against the league champions in order to accomplish their task.
“The match against Juventus is an important game for us and for all of Naples. We all know that it is a particular and special game for our fans. We would like to do well because we have the goal of second place and we will try until the end. There are still many points to play for and we will fight until the end of the race”, declared the Spanish winger.
Anything But Easy
Despite having won the corresponding fixture earlier this season 3-0 in Turin, Juventus appreciate that facing the Partenopei will always remain a difficult match, even with the vast gap in points between the two sides. Juventus are undefeated in their last 22 league games – with their last loss being a 4-2 setback against Fiorentina last October – but Antonio Conte’s men know that it will take something extra on their behalf to come up with the spoils against Napoli.
The gap between the two teams might be a big one, but midfielder Andrea Pirlo believes that Napoli will still present themselves as quality opponents when the two clubs take the pitch on Sunday night.
“We’ve played a great season so far, but we haven’t won anything yet. Napoli are a strong side, and out there on the field the difference in points will count for nothing on Sunday. They wanted to win the Turin fixture, but we tackled the challenge in the best possible way knowing that it was a clash with one of our close rivals”, commented the AC Milan legend.
Juventus have kept a clean sheet in their last three away Serie A games, but replicating this feat against Napoli will be hard as the side command one of Italy’s best attacking units with 57 goals.
Recent form
Napoli:
Napoli 2-2 FC Porto (20/03; Europa League)
Napoli 0-1 Fiorentina (23/03; Serie A)
Catania 2-4 Napoli (26/03; Serie A)
Juventus:
Fiorentina 0-1 Juventus (20/03; Europa League)
Catania 0-1 Juventus (23/03; Serie A)
Juventus 2-1 Parma (26/03; Serie A)
Key absences
Napoli: Dries Mertens; Valon Behrami; Christian Maggio; Rafael; Juan Zuniga
Juventus: Angelo Ogbonna; Federico Peluso; Andrea Barzagli
Players to watch
Napoli – Gonzalo Higuain: The striker will be his side’s focal point when they meet the Bianconeri for this one. On his day, the Argentine is one of the best forwards in the world, and his coach will be hoping that day will coincide with this upcoming Sunday.
Juventus – Carlos Tevez: Higuain’s countryman will be playing for the opposition, with both trying to impress Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella, even if Tevez seems firmly out of his plans. Tevez managed his side’s two goals against Fiorentina recently and he will be expected to do more of the same against Napoli.
Match Prediction
This game is important for Juventus as a win against direct rivals will boost their confidence. Napoli have no hope of winning the Scudetto anymore, with only bragging rights – and an eye on second place – left for them. However given Juventus’ form, the visitors might prove to be a hard task for them. Napoli 1-2 Juventus.
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