Juventus host Napoli in Serie A on Sunday night, November 1, with kick-off at 7:45pm UK time. Our full preview, team news, predicted lineups and score prediction are below.
Match Preview
Napoli and Naples run deep in Luciano Spalletti’s memory, and whatever happens in Turin on Sunday, it will be a special night for him. It is also a heavyweight fixture on paper, even though both sides sit outside Italy’s top six.
Both coaches have a rich history with the other club, but that counts for little with three points at stake. Spalletti helped Napoli end their long wait for a Scudetto in 2023. To rescue his job, he now has to beat them and the familiar face in their dugout.
Juve had eased some pressure with a 2-0 win at Lecce, but they lost 2-0 at Genoa on Wednesday, their third league defeat of the season. They dominated possession and still failed to score. They are 11 points behind league leaders Inter Milan and Lazio, who beat them 3-0 recently, and they already risk missing out on the Champions League. They have scored fewer goals than more modest sides such as Sassuolo, Bologna and Monza. Spalletti has sent the squad on a training retreat and is under heavy media scrutiny.
Spalletti and Massimiliano Allegri, both Tuscans, have not always seen eye to eye, and they meet again on Sunday, tactically at least. Only Giovanni Trapattoni has managed more Serie A games for Juventus than Allegri, who has won only one of his last seven league games against the Bianconeri. Allegri was once known for caution, but he has loosened up lately, and Napoli have scored at least three goals in five of their last six games.
That run includes a 4-3 Champions League win over Bodo/Glimt and a 3-3 draw with Roma in the Derby del Sole. On Wednesday they won 4-1 at Monza, with an early Rasmus Hojlund goal setting the tone. That leaves them seventh, just above Juve on goal difference. They have won five of their last eight Serie A games against Juve but lost the most recent, 3-0 in January, and their away form has been below par for months. Napoli have won seven straight meetings in Naples, but Juve have won 11 of the last 15 in Turin and kept clean sheets in the last three.
Team News
Injuries have hit both sides. Zeki Celik and Nico Gonzalez are the latest to join Kenan Yildiz, Khephren Thuram, Francisco Conceicao, Kamil Grabara and captain Manuel Locatelli in Juve’s treatment room. On a positive note, long term absentee Jeff Ekhator has finally returned to team training. Spalletti has few alternatives to Nick Woltemade and Randal Kolo Muani, who both look more at home in the Europa League. Kolo Muani has scored with just one of his last 21 shots at the Allianz Stadium.
Kevin De Bruyne has found his shooting boots, with four league goals after Napoli’s fourth at Monza, and Hojlund ended his drought on Wednesday. Forwards Giovane and Antonio Vergara have recently returned from layoffs. Napoli were already without Alessandro Buongiorno, David Neres, Costantino Favasuli, Alisson Santos, Leonardo Spinazzola and Benoit Badiashile, and Stanislav Lobotka injured his left ankle in midweek. Allegri serves the second game of a two-match touchline ban, so assistant Marco Landucci takes charge again.
Probable Starting XI’s
Juventus possible XI (4-3-3): Vicario; Kalulu, Bremer, Lucumi, Kelly; McKennie, Luiz, Koopmeiners; Zhegroav, Kolo Muani, Boga
Napoli possible XI (4-3-2-1): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Marin, Rrahmani, Olivera; Anguissa, De Bruyne, McTominay; Politano, Lang; Hojlund
Prediction
The home side usually wins this fixture, but Juve are short on confidence and could lose again. Napoli have found more firepower since the last international break, which should help them outscore their struggling hosts.
Prediction: Juventus 1-2 Napoli
