Napoli vs Juventus
Juventus visit Naples on Saturday afternoon for Round 22 of Serie A as the big top-flight fixtures keep on coming thick and fast.
The Stadio Diego Armando Maradona has witnessed many great battles between these two giants of the Italian game, and there’s plenty at stake this time as I Bianconeri chase down a 10th successive Scudetto.
Andrea Pirlo’s side is in third place and are seven points off the top. And with a game in hand they’ll be gathering some serious momentum.
Napoli is in sixth place and are five points behind the Old Lady, and they have a top four place clearly in view.
Head coach Gennaro Gattuso had many battles with I Bianconeri as a player for AC Milan and he’ll relish a chance to put a dent in their title hopes.
Talking Points
Inconsistency costs Napoli
Gli Azzurri have an array of talented players and they can beat anyone on their day, but inconsistency has all but ruled them out of the title race because they have a habit of dropping unexpected points.
Last week, Napoli conceded two early goals against a lower-tier club in Genoa and never really recovered, although winger Matteo Politano scored a late consolation.
Gattuso’s team has plenty of firepower. Captain Lorenzo Insigne is reliable as ever with nine league goals to his name, while Mexican striker Hirving Lozano has matched that in an impressive first half of the campaign.
With Belgian forward Dries Mertens out injured, there is a lot riding on these two up front.
Meanwhile in midfield, Polish star Piotr Zielinski continues to improve and has contributed four goals and three assists.
Are Juventus peaking at the right time?
They certainly know how to win a Scudetto in Turin and a recent upturn in results for Pirlo’s men will have sent shivers down the spine of the two Milan clubs.
The latest Serie A 2021 betting odds are becoming tighter by the day, with Inter as marginal favourites and Juventus ahead of current leaders AC Milan.
Andrea Pirlo is doing a good job as head coach and he probably has more time on his side as a playing legend with the Bianconeri, but it is a results business and the board will expect trophies.
It’s going well for Pirlo on three fronts. A goalless draw with Inter Milan was enough to take Juventus through to the Coppa Italia final while they also topped their Champions League group, edging out Barcelona in the head-to-head.
And of course the Old Lady has star quality. Cristiano Ronaldo leads the race for the Capocannoniere with 16 goals, and here at SBOTOP, we reckon he could be the top dog at Euro 2020 at the ripe old age of 36.
He bagged the opener in Juve’s 2-0 victory over Roma last week and his obsession with fitness gives him the agility of a man half his age.
Ronaldo has good support from Alvaro Morata, who has made seven assists in the league. In addition, Juan Cuadrado poses a creative threat with five assists under his belt.
At the back, the return of Giorgio Chiellini from injury alongside Leonardo Bonucci adds granite to the Juve defence.
History
The Old Lady have held the dominant hand in this fixture, winning 26 of the past 50 meetings, with Napoli winning 14 and drawing 10.
There have been some great battles in recent times. Last June, Napoli beat I Bianconeri 4-2 on penalties to win the Coppa Italia and Juventus exacted some revenge in January with a 2-0 Super Cup victory in Bergamo.
On the other hand, Napoli won this fixture last season by a 2-1 scoreline.
Recent form favours I Bianconeri as they are unbeaten in seven and have won five from the last six games. They have an away league record of five wins, four draws, and a solitary defeat.
Gli Azzurri are unbeaten in five games at home. But they have only won twice in the last six games in all competitions, losing three and drawing one.
Betting Tip
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Napoli vs Juventus | 1X2 Juventus @ 2.12 |
| February 14, 01:00 (GMT+8) |
Napoli need an improvement in form to win this one, and they are at 3.30 to pull it off with the draw at 3.20.
There’s a steely look about the champions as they pursue yet another title as they have won six of the last seven games by at least a two-goal margin and they arrive in Naples on the back of three 2-0 wins on the bounce.
The Serie A 2021 results elsewhere need to go with I Bianconeri. But if they carry on their current form, it won’t be long before their destiny is in their own hands.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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