SSC Napoli vs Juventus FC – 13/01/2023
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It’s first against second in Serie A on Friday night, as high-flying Napoli welcome a resurgent Juventus outfit to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Napoli find themselves seven points clear of Juventus, having lost just one of their 17 league matches this season. That said, Juventus have only suffered two defeats.
Can Luciano Spalletti’s side strengthen their grip on the title race? Or will the Old Lady upset the apple cart in Naples? It’s time to take a closer look at the teams.
Let’s start with the hosts, Napoli, who head into Friday’s clash on a run of 12 wins in 13 Serie A encounters.
Spalletti’s men remained unbeaten before the World Cup, claiming 13 wins and two draws in their opening 15 matches. However, Inter ended their unbeaten streak earlier this month.
But it didn’t take long for Napoli to bounce back. Indeed, the Neapolitans secured a 2-0 victory at Sampdoria last weekend – racking up 67% possession and 24 shots in the process.
Not only do Napoli have the best offensive record in the division, but they also have the second-best defensive record.
Funnily enough, Juventus boast the best defensive record in the Serie A – having conceded a measly seven goals in 17 outings this season.
The Turin outfit have kept 12 clean sheets this term, with shutouts coming in each of their previous eight league games.
Juventus kicked off their campaign with a six-game unbeaten streak before notching an eight-game winning streak between mid-October and today.
When you look at the bigger picture, Juve have lost just five of their past 41 Serie A games. That means they will be confident of frustrating Napoli.
Head-to-head: Juventus have only managed to win one of their last five Serie A meetings with Napoli, suffering three defeats in the process.
Given that seven of the last eight league meetings between Napoli and Juve have produced over 1.5 goals, a high-scoring clash is on the cards this time around.
Team news: Napoli are injury-free at the moment, meaning Spalletti has a full-strength squad at his disposal.
As for Juventus, they will be without the injured quintet of Dusan Vlahovic, Juan Cuadrado, Paul Pogba, Leonardo Bonucci and Kaio Jorge on Friday.
Although Napoli are flying high at the Serie A summit, Juventus are expected to flex their muscles and extend their eight-game winning streak on Friday.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Juventus will claim all three points in Naples – scoring over 1.5 goals on their way to victory.
