The clash of Napoli and Juventus was always exciting and dramatic at times over the past few years. Il Partenopei was, in fact, Juventus’ constant rival from 2016 to 2019.
Unfortunately, their campaign this season has not been as expected. Their form has been degrading either under Carlo Ancelotti or the current manager, Gennaro Gattuso. They are even sitting on the eleventh of the table. This is absolutely not an ideal condition for Napoli to take on La Vecchia Signora, which now has been back to the top again.
Napoli and Juventus Previous Matches
Napoli under Gennaro Gattuso have not been able to perform their best. Last weekend, they lost again in the home fixture. This time their contender on the mid-table, Fiorentina, managed to trash them by a two-goal win. Federico Chiesa and the Serbian youngster Dusan Vlahovic scored the winning goals. It was their third consecutive defeats in Serie A.
Meanwhile, Juventus finally could get away from Inter’s threat. Last weekend, they won over Parma by Cristiano Ronaldo’s brace. Yet, their strongest contender this season, Inter Milan, failed to win in Lecce. This result certainly extends Maurizio Sarri’s men’ lead to four points from the runner up.
Possible Tactic
The former Milan boss, Gattuso, always deploys 4-3-3 with Arkadiuz Milik as the target man supported by Lorenzo Insigne and Jose Callejon or Dries Mertens and the Mexican international Hirving Lozano as the backup.
However, he should consider employing different approach or tactical formation in their visit in Olympico. The 5-4-1 might be suitable to close down Juventus’ frontman trio, Cristiano Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain. Their new signings, two defensive midfielders, Diego Demme and Slavislav Lobotka, might fit such tactic.
Maurizio Sarri is often favour of employing 4-3-1-2 in Juventus instead of his favourite 4-3-3. He is believed to win his first domestic title this season as his squad has all the advantage that other teams do not, the mentality, experience and surely the living football legend today, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Players to Watch
Napoli’s top performers this season are the Polish international Arkadiusz Milik who has scored seven goals, Lorenzo Insigne with three goals and four assists, Jose Callejon the top assist provider with five assists. Another key figure of Il Partenopei is central midfielder, Fabian Ruiz. He has almost always been in the line-up.
In Juventus, one of the most notable figures this season beside Cristiano Ronaldo is the Argentine Paulo Dybala. He has netted five goals and provided two assists. Another important name is Maurizio Sarri’s favourite forward, Gonzalo Higuain.
Napoli vs Juventus Prediction
The Old Lady is likely to secure another three points here. The host has been hapless against the stronger side. Unfortunately, their negative trend will probably continue, especially if Gatusso does not consider modifying his tactical approach.
Betting Odds
The punters definitely put their bet on CR7 and Co. Their odds to win are at 1.97 whereas the draw result is higher, which is at 3.75. Napoli is only priced to win at 3.55.
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