Preview: Juventus vs Napoli – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Allianz Stadium sets the stage for Sunday’s high-stakes Serie A clash between record-time champions Juventus and reigning holders Napoli.

Juventus’ pursuit of a top-four finish took a hit last weekend as bottom-half Cagliari condemned Luciano Spalletti to only his second defeat in charge of the Turin giants.

However, the Bianconeri bounced back from a 1-0 heartbreak at the Unipol Domus with a comfortable 2-0 home win over Benfica in midweek UEFA Champions League action.

Buoyed by that victory, Spalletti’s side will be out to get their stuttering league campaign back on track and stay within touching distance of fourth-placed Roma.

That task could be nothing short of Herculean, as title-bidding Napoli roll into town, looking to build on last weekend’s narrow 1-0 home triumph over newcomers Sassuolo.

Antonio Conte’s charges wasted a huge chance to build a head of steam, dropping points in a stomach-wrenching 1-1 draw against 10-man Copenhagen on Tuesday.

Napoli’s disjointed performance at Parken Stadium cast further doubt on their bid to progress into the knockout stages, leaving them narrowly behind 24th-placed Olympiacos.

Conte won’t lose much sleep over another underwhelming European night if his side defy their 29/10 underdog status in this blockbuster fixture to stay in touch with pacesetters Inter Milan.

Juventus are 11/10 favourites to maintain their scintillating home form in Serie A, even though the odds rarely matter when it comes to matches of this magnitude.

Home Fortress

Juventus have not lost a single home outing in Turin in any competition since March, despite being managed by three different coaches in that period (W13, D6).

They have been particularly ruthless of late, winning six of their last seven home games (D1), including a 2-1 victory over fellow top-four rivals Roma in December.

If there is a team capable of knocking Spalletti’s team off their perch, it’s Napoli. For perspective, Juventus have only won one of their last nine meetings (D2, L6).

However, the Bianconeri are unbeaten in 12 of their last 12 league encounters on home turf (W10, D2), a run that offers genuine encouragement despite their recent struggles against the Partenopei.

It’s also worth noting that only AC Milan and Inter have picked up more points than Juventus’ 24 since Spalletti replaced Igor Tudor in the dugout at the end of October.

Test of Character

Napoli cannot afford a slip-up in Turin if they’re to keep their Scudetto hopes alive, but their four-game league form on the road cannot inspire confidence (W2, D1, L1).

Visiting fans can always trust Conte to coax a response on high-pressure nights, especially in fixtures that could define a title race, regardless of his perennial struggles at this venue.

Despite winning three Serie A titles at the helm of Juventus, the 56-year-old manager has never beaten the Bianconeri as a visiting coach in Serie A (D1, L2).

That’s not the only ominous sign for Napoli, as they’ve also picked up just four wins on their last 13 road trips in all competitions (D2, L7), drawing the last two in a row.

A fast start could be helpful, and the Partenopei can take heart from leading at half-time in Serie A’s second-most ten matches this season, with only Inter (11) ahead of them in that metric.

Team News

Juventus will be without long-term absentees Arkadiusz Milik, Dusan Vlahovic and Daniele Rugani, meaning Jonathan David is likely to lead the line amid a rough patch.

Potential starting XI: Di Gregorio, Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly, Cambiasso, Locatelli, Thuram, McKennie, Miretti, Yildiz, David.

On the other hand, Napoli’s injury list features numerous first-team stars, including Kevin De Bruyne, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Amir Rrahmani, Matteo Politano, Billy Gilmour and David Neres.

However, Romelu Lukaku has returned from a lengthy layoff and will be in contention on Sunday after scoring in a friendly against Savoia, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

Potential starting XI:Milenkovic-Savic, Juan, Buongiorno, Di Lorenzo, Spinazzola, Gutierrez, McTominay, Lobotka, Elmas, Vergara, Hojlund.

Prediction

This clash has a draw written all over it, though a share of the spoils won’t do much good to either side.

Juventus need maximum points to keep pace in a congested top-four race, while Napoli cannot afford to lose ground on pacesetters Inter at this critical stage of the title run-in.

Given the high-stakes nature of this contest, a cagey affair could be on the cards.