Juventus in crisis, Napoli scoring in bunches: Juventus vs Napoli prediction
One of the standout fixtures of the Italian Serie A’s tenth round will take place in Turin on Sunday, as Juventus host Napoli. Both clubs are outside the top six and need points to get back into the race for Champions League places. The Turin side are going through a difficult spell, while the Neapolitans have made significant strides in attack. Can Luciano Spalletti’s team stop an opponent that has found its stride?
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Juventus: a results crisis and pressure on Spalletti
Juventus continue to drop points and are falling further behind the championship leaders. After beating Lecce (2-0), the Turin side disappointed their supporters once again, losing to Genoa (0-2). Despite enjoying the majority of possession, the team failed to find the net. It was their third defeat of the current Serie A campaign. The gap to Inter and Lazio has reached 11 points, while the prospect of missing out on the Champions League is becoming increasingly realistic. Against the backdrop of these setbacks, Spalletti arranged a closed training camp for the players.
The situation is further complicated by a long injury list. Kenan Yildiz, Khéphren Thuram, Manuel Locatelli, Francisco Conceição, Nico González, Zeki Çelik, Jeff Ekatore and Kamil Grabara are unavailable. Most of the attacking burden falls on Randal Kolo Muani and Nick Woltemade, who have yet to live up to expectations in the league. Kolo Muani’s statistics are particularly telling: at home, he has converted just one of his last 21 shots. With so many personnel problems, it will be difficult for the Turin side to cope with such a prolific opponent.
Napoli: an attacking surge and away-day problems
Napoli have also been inconsistent, but Massimiliano Allegri’s team have significantly improved their scoring output in recent matches. The Neapolitans have scored at least three goals in five of their last six games in all competitions. After beating Bodø/Glimt (4-3) in the Champions League, they drew with Roma (3-3) before securing a confident victory over Monza (4-1). Rasmus Højlund ended his barren run, while Kevin De Bruyne took his Serie A goal tally to four.
At the same time, Napoli’s away form remains far from ideal. The team lost to Venezia (0-1), while their previous head-to-head meeting ended in a 3-0 defeat to Juventus. Further difficulties are caused by injuries to Stanislav Lobotka, Alessandro Buongiorno, David Neres, Leonardo Spinazzola and several other players. Allegri himself will miss the match through suspension, so Marco Landucci will take charge on the touchline. Nevertheless, the visitors’ current attacking form gives them reason to believe they can get a result even in Turin.
Match facts and head-to-head record
- Juventus have lost three of their last six Serie A matches
- Napoli have scored at least three goals in five of their last six matches in all competitions
- Juventus have won 11 of their last 15 home matches against Napoli and kept clean sheets in the previous three
Can Napoli take advantage of Juventus’ crisis: Juventus vs Napoli prediction
The head-to-head record in Turin favors the hosts, but the teams’ current form calls for a different assessment of their chances. Juventus are struggling badly with their finishing, while the numerous injuries limit Spalletti’s options for changing the course of the game.
Napoli are not particularly consistent defensively either, but they have been noticeably more effective than their opponents in attack in recent matches. De Bruyne and Højlund have found their form, while the Turin side regularly make mistakes against well-organized attacking teams. We expect a tense match in which the visitors’ attacking efficiency will prove decisive.
