Lovers of Italian football have a busy week ahead, with games played from Friday through to Monday. There’s something for everyone with Italy’s top clubs in action, including Inter Milan, Lazio, AC Milan and Roma. The most interesting games will be broadcast live on television, meaning armchair fans can keep pace with the results and games. With so many eye-catching fixtures on the list, planning your viewing will be more difficult than usual, but our European football writer is here to help.
The game that caught our eye pairs Juventus and Napoli from 19:45 GMT on Friday. It promises to be a fascinating encounter, and we’re confident it will live up to the hype as the former long-term rulers of the Serie A host one of the league’s recent champions. Juve is a more famous club, but Napoli has won the Serie A title more recently than their hosts. How will this game play out? Keep reading for our big-match preview and predictions.
The Old Lady returns
Since their last Serie A title win, Juventus hasn’t been a force in Italian football. Fans have watched on as Napoli and the teams from Milan have squabbled over the championship trophy, with some believing the good times were a thing of the past. Is Juve going through a brief rocky spell in their history, one that’s required to help them build for the future? Or has the Old Lady fallen from grace and are unlikely to return to their former glories when they dominated the division? Only time will tell.
The hosts started the week sitting in second place in the Serie A pecking order behind current leaders Inter Milan. Juve has ten wins, three draws, and one defeat on the board, scoring 22 goals and conceding just nine. The 33 points collected is just two shy of Milan, meaning Juventus could move to the top of the league with a win on Friday. Will they get the desired result and stir things up, heaping pressure on Inter? That’s certainly the plan approaching Friday’s contest.
Napoli lacks consistency
When Napoli won the Italian Serie A in 2023, they finished clear of the chasing pack, having taken control of the division early. They also won a Champions League group that included Liverpool, Ajax, and Rangers that season. Napoli fans hoped that league win would spark a period of dominance for their club as they built on their success and continued to collect major honours at home and on the continent, but things didn’t go according to plan.
Bet hereNapoli lost many of their best players from that title-winning season and have failed to live up to expectations in the Champions League. The visitors arrive in Turin for Friday evening’s contest on the back of an unconvincing run of form. They’ve won two, lost two, and drawn one of their last five. Napoli’s stats for the season so far show seven wins, three draws, and four defeats, with 26 goals scored and 17 conceded. The 24 points collected put them level with Roma in fourth place, 11 points behind current leader Inter Milan.
Juventus v Napoli prediction
Juventus enjoys the home advantage for this game, and they are higher in the league than their opponents, showing the better recent form. On paper, this looks like a strong win for Juventus, but regular followers of Serie A know games at this level rarely follow the script. F Juve is at their best and firing. They have the skills, confidence, and experience to grab a vital three points and hit pole position in the Serie A table, passing the baton to Milan, who must respond this weekend.
Napoli arrives low on confidence after suffering a fourth defeat of the season last time and second in three games. The visitors have managed to win only two of their last five, and that makes them difficult to support when visiting a team with the quality and ambition of Juventus. The locals are pushing for the title, and we believe that will show in the result of Friday evening’s contest.
Serie A odds
The pre-match betting odds available to all 22Bet members, both new and experienced, make for interesting reading. Juventus is the pre-game betting favourites, with odds of 2.38 available on the home win. Is that a bet that catches your eye? Perhaps you prefer taking a shot on the underdogs at better odds? You can back Napoli to win at 2.96 or try the draw at 3.38.
If you’d prefer to avoid picking sides, 22Bet has plenty of interesting specials available to their members. There’s the first player to score market, both teams to score, handicap, half-time/full-time, total goals, and more. You’ll find a market and bet to suit all moods, budgets, and games this weekend on the 22Bet website and mobile site.
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