The Allianz Stadium will host two of the top teams in the table this Saturday as Juventus take on Napoli. With each team winning their fixture this past week, both will be prepared for an important match which could be decisive later in the season for the Scudetto. Expect this match to be exciting as Napoli displayed their offensive attack up front this past weekend while Juventus has with a new identity under Maurizio Sarri. Being early in the season, the defence still looks shaky on both ends and fans could expect a high scoring match.
Juventus comes off a 1-0 win against Parma that saw Giorgio Chiellini score his first of the season. Cristiano Ronaldo was unable to score this weekend after his goal was disallowed due to Video Assistant Review. The striker was shown to be offside on a questionable call, however, this didn’t have an effect on the game. With Gonzalo Higuain playing upfront beside Ronaldo, it will take time for the two to get used to each other, but when they do, it could be a threat. Additionally, expect Paulo Dybala to not be featured in this contest. The striker’s future is still unknown and, as the transfer market is open until September 2nd, Juventus will take no chances inserting him into the lineup.
Napoli won 4-3 in a thrilling game against Fiorentina which had a lot of excitement and drama in regard to VAR. VAR was the centre of attention for this match as it had to be called upon on two separate occasions. There was a hand-ball by Napoli which was questionable and Dries Mertens tripped in the Fiorentina end, which also left many surprised after being called a penalty. Aside from VAR being the main attraction, Napoli’s offence looked dangerous with goals from Lorenzo Insigne and a beautiful strike from Mertens. The defence will need time to adjust as it looked shaky throughout the game as Kostas Manolas and Kalidou Koulibaly continue to develop their chemistry with the two having little time to adjust playing together.
Injuries and Suspensions
Juventus Injuries: Marko Pjaca out, Aaron Ramsey Doubtful, Giorgio Chiellini out indefinitely
Napoli are missing no players for this contest.
Expected Line Ups
Juventus (4-3-3): Szczesny; Sandro, De Ligt, Bonucci, Sciglio; Matuidi, Pjanic, Khedira; Ronaldo, Higuain, Costa
Napoli (4-1-4-1): Meret; Lorenzo, Manolas, Koulibaly, Ghoulam; Allan; Callejon, Zielinski, Ruiz, Insigne; Mertens
Key Clashes
After a strong game from Ronaldo in which the striker had many chances to score against Parma, it can be expected that this outcome won’t happen most nights. The Juventus scoring leader from 2018-2019 will be poised to bring that scoring to Saturday against Napoli. Additionally, Maurizio Sarri could be behind the bench for Juventus’ match against Napoli. The Italian coached Napoli two years ago before leaving for Chelsea. After one year with Chelsea, Sarri decided to come back to Italy to coach for Napoli’s rival Juventus.
Lorenzo Insigne finished as the leading goal scorer for Napoli last season with 14 goals. The Italian displayed that effort in his first game of the season against Fiorentina, scoring 2 goals. With rival Juventus taking on his club Napoli, the Italian striker will look to continue his scoring against a club that his team surely hopes to surpass this year.