A lot has changed since January 2023 when Napoli last welcomed Juventus to Naples. Their 5-1 humiliation of the Old Lady that day matched their biggest ever win against the Turin club back in 1990 in the Super Coppa final, when the great Diego Maradona orchestrated proceedings. The victory last season helped them on their way to their first title (and third overall) since the halcyon days of Maradona but things haven’t gone well since, with the defending champions sitting in a lowly ninth, although they did at least get to celebrate their first win under new coach Francesco Calzona in midweek when they hammered Sassuolo 6-1.
Despite being unbeaten in five home league matches (W3, D2), Napoli still hold a mediocre record from their Serie A outings at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona this term (W5, D3, L4). A good start would definitely help improve that as Napoli have developed a nasty habit of conceding first in their last four consecutive home matches, albeit the last three matches stood goalless at half-time.
A last-gasp goal from Daniele Rugani saw not only second-placed Juventus beat Frosinone 3-2 last time out, finally halting their four-game winless run (D2, L2), but it also meant manager Massimiliano Allegri became the first-ever coach in Serie A history to exceed 1000 combined Serie A points (W301, D99, L96).
Allegri will hope to build on that milestone with what would be a huge victory here, and Juventus should travel with confidence as they boast the second-best travelling record in the league. That said, their trips to Naples haven’t been too profitable of late with their last four matches there ending in defeat. There’s one good omen at least, as their last win here did arrive on the exact same date as this contest five years ago.
Players to watch: Napoli’s Victor Osimhen has scored five goals in his three matches since his return from AFCON, including a hattrick last time out, whilst he netted twice when these sides met here last season. Fresh off a brace against Frosinone, Dušan Vlahović has scored nine goals in his seven league matches in 2024, with the last three arriving in the first half.
Hot stat: Napoli have won at least seven corner kicks in each of their last five home competitive matches (41 in total).
