Serie A: Napoli and Juventus in a Sunday Showdown

Napoli vs Juventus

2025 Scudetto Champions Napoli hosts 2020 league winners Juventus in a blockbuster clash on Sunday, with two of Italy’s iconic clubs both desperate for a victory.

Antonio Conte’s Napoli sit second in the Serie A table, behind AC Milan on goal difference alone, but in a congested Scudetto race only a single point separates the top four, with Inter Milan and AS Roma making up the leading group. Meanwhile, Luciano Spalletti’s Juventus are currently out of the frame, down in seventh but only four points off the top and they are on a decent run of form, with three wins on the bounce in all competitions.

Both teams won last week, Napoli edging out Roma 1-0 in a tense six-pointer while Juventus beat Cagliari by the odd goal in three. And they were in Coppa Italia action in midweek, the Old Lady overcoming Udinese 2-0 while a much changed I Partenopei drew 1-1 with Cagliari, before winning the penalty shootout 9-8.

Now it’s back to Scudetto business; and this is a game which will have fans the length of Italy watching the Serie A 2025 updates on Sunday night.

But which way is it going to go?  

 

Talking Points

Lobotka doubtful for Napoli

Conte doesn’t have much to worry about in terms of injures but he did receive some bad news this week, with influential midfielder Stanislav Lobotka set to miss out on this clash with Juve. The 31 year old Slovakia star picked up a muscle strain on Wednesday and the club has said he is very unlikely to make the game on Sunday. In his sixth season at Napoli Lobotka has been a key figure in the two times Scudetto winning side. He reads the game as well as anyone and, with his low centre of gravity, he is very hard to shake off the ball, able to turn defence into attack with a burst up-field or a well aimed pass.

Lobotka will be a miss but Conte has options. Eljif Elmas, on loan from Red Bull Leipzig, can drop into midfield alongside Italian footballer of the Year Scott McTominay, while a number of players rested for the cup match with Cagliari will also be back in the frame.

Brazilian defender Juan Jesus is having a superb season as one of the best passers in the game, while centre forward Rasmus Hojlund seems to have settled well in Naples, and club skipper Giovani Di Lorenzo will be back to take the captain’s armband.      

 

Spalletti’s emotional return   

The Juventus manager will catch up with a few old friends on Sunday as he returns to the club where he achieved legendary status, delivering the first Scudetto title to Napoli in over three decades. Light blue flags adorned houses and bridges from Naples all the way down the Amalfi coast from May 2023 when the title was won, until the start of the next campaign: “There will be burning emotion for me because I have so many friends waiting for me there,” he said. “It won’t matter how I am welcomed but the feeling I have towards them is that of a person who loves them.”

Immediately after the Scudetto win Spalletti left Napoli aiming for a year off to recover, but he managed Italy for a year before Juventus signed him up in October after they fired Igor Tudor.

The Juve boss will go to Naples without his star striker Dusan Vlahovic who is suffering a groin strain, and an injury to Federico Gatti means he will be missing three first choice defenders for this mega clash.      

 

History

Juventus have won 20 of the last 48 encounters, between these two sides, to Napoli’s 17 and there have been 11 draws. But at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona the hosts have been dominant, winning 13 to Juventus’ three and there have been five draws. When the two teams met in Naples in January I Bianconeri took a half time lead before I Partenopei launched a comeback as Romelu Lukaku scored the winner in a 2-1 finish.     

The Serie A 2025 betting odds have taken a shift towards the Milan clubs in recent weeks, but both these teams are in decent nick, Napoli with three wins, two draws and a single defeat from the last six, while Juventus have won three and drawn three.

 

Betting Tip

Napoli are favourites to win this six pointer at SBOTOP odds of 2.20, with Juventus priced at 3.00 and the Draw is at 3.25. I think it will be a tight game which Conte’s team will edge by the odd goal, and, if you think there will be goals for both teams then a 2-1 win for I Partenopei is priced at 9.25.  

   

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