Juventus and Napoli staged comebacks to win their last outings and now they will face off in their next league match. Hosts Napoli start this game placed ninth while Juventus are second, both sides targeting top four finishes. Napoli’s title defence is in shambles and go into this game 29 points behind the league leaders, Inter Milan. While they still have 36 points to play for, at best they should just play for a top four finish. Napoli’s unstable season has seen three managerial changes this season. New manager Francesco Calzona registered his first win in resounding style in the last game, beating Sassuolo 6-1 on the road. The champions will hope to sink some big fish here, coming to the game unbeaten in their last four matches. Napoli’s last two defeats were against two of the top three sides. They will want to avoid losing to the third, and will be counting on home form in the league. In Serie A, Napoli have no loss in their last five matches at home, winning three. Their confidence will also be boosted by the fact they have three wins in five meetings with Juventus. They however lost 1-0 in the reverse fixture.
Juventus had to come from 2-1 down to beat Frosinone in their last outing, ending a four-game winless run in Serie A. It took Daniele Rugani’s stoppage time goal for Juventus to win 3-2 at home and they will hope for a smoother ride here. Dusan Vlahovic had scored twice in a goal-laden first half but the Old Lady still needed some late action to win it. Taking the three points, Juventus will be worried about their defensive numbers. They have conceded twice in each of their last two matches, having earlier drawn 2-2 with Verona. In five matches ahead of this one, Juventus haven't managed a clean sheet, while they failed to score in two of their last four games. In light of their struggles in this fixture lately, their recent form will not be really a source of confidence. The visitors have no win in their last two away matches. A lengthy injury list doesn’t help matters, with a number of key players in it and news of Paul Pogba’s suspension also sinking in.
Napoli were resounding winners in their last game, and will be fired up coming into this one. Playing at home against Juventus has in recent meetings favored the champions. They will bank on this, as well as their recent home form when they welcome Juventus. Based on recent form and head-to-head numbers, our prediction for Napoli v Juventus is for Napoli to win.