Napoli will look to maintain their position at the top of Serie A when they face Juventus on Sunday, with both sides arriving at matchday fourteen in contrasting but promising form. The defending champions sit level on points with AC Milan and are aiming to extend their winning run, while Juventus continue to gather momentum under Luciano Spalletti.
Match news and current form
Napoli enter this round behind Milan only on goal difference, despite already recording three league defeats this season. That tally is only one fewer than in their entire title winning campaign last year and they have collected one point fewer than they had at this stage in the previous season. However, their record at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona remains a major strength. Antonio Conte’s side have dropped points only once at home in the league in the current campaign, with five wins and one draw, and they have scored three goals against both Inter and Atalanta, who finished in the top four last season. Napoli have not lost a home league match since their defeat to Lazio nearly a year ago.
Juventus travel to Naples following a 2 to 1 win against Cagliari last weekend, which marked their second league victory since Spalletti’s appointment. They begin the round one point outside the top six and remain two points short of the tally they held at this stage last season. Their away form is an area in need of improvement, as both of their trips to teams currently in the top half have ended in defeat without scoring. Juventus have also failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight away matches in all competitions, during which they have recorded two wins, three draws and three defeats.
Head to head history
Although Juventus hold the stronger historical record in this fixture, recent meetings in Naples have firmly favoured the champions. Juventus have lost on each of their last six league visits to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, conceding fourteen goals across those matches.
Key statistics and trends
Recent trends suggest that goals may be expected at both ends. Four of Napoli’s last five home league matches have seen both teams score. None of Napoli’s home matches this season have produced a goal within the opening fifteen minutes. Juventus have shown resilience under Spalletti and have recovered from losing positions to claim at least one point in three league fixtures. Only one of Juventus’s last nine matches has been goalless at half time.
Players to watch and team updates
Napoli goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic Savic, who previously spent several seasons at Torino, has kept five clean sheets in his last eight appearances and will aim to secure his first career victory over Juventus. For the visitors, Kenan Yildiz arrives in strong form after scoring twice against Cagliari. Juventus have won eight of the last nine matches in which he has found the net.
Both teams appear to have avoided new injuries during their midweek Coppa Italia fixtures, which saw Napoli defeat Cagliari and Juventus overcome Udinese.
