Europe » Italy

Serie A Preview: Juventus - Napoli

Juventus welcome a Napoli side who are likely to rumble following the recent woes at the San Paolo. A win for the away side could spell disaster for the Old Lady's Scudetto hopes and Mauro Camoranesi's fractured rib will mean more hard work for his team-mates.

Feb 27, 2009 12:38:23 PM

Trezeguet - Juventus-Napoli Tim Cup (Grazia Neri)

Photo Gallery

Zoom

Trezeguet - Juventus-Napoli Tim Cup (Grazia Neri)

Teams

Kick Off: Saturday February 28, 20:45 CET, Stadio Olimpico.

Juventus Blowing Hot And Cold

Juventus welcome Napoli to the Stadio Olimpico this weekend and they will not be looking forward to facing a team who are wounded from a six match winless streak. Claudio Ranieri's men will know all about the Partenopei having lost to them back in October by a 2-1 scoreline. Since then, both clubs have endured mixed fortunes in Serie A, but the Old Lady will be hoping to build on last week's 2-0 win over Palermo.

Mohamed Sissoko and David Trezeguet did the damage in Sicily in order to close the gap on Inter to nine points. They are still some way off the pace, but with the Nerazzurri hosting Roma on Sunday night, the Bianconeri will be looking to take full advantage in every sense. Napoli's woeful form may play into Juve's hands. The cunning Old Lady has always known how to treat a wounded animal and will be looking to feast on some much needed points.

Claudio Ranieri's side suffered a major blow in midweek during their tie against Chelsea. Apart from the 1-0 defeat, the Italians also lost Mauro Camoranesi for at least four weeks. The Italian international was crunched by a hard tackle from Frank Lampard. It was the World Cup winner who came out worse off as he broke a rib by falling awkwardly.

Juve will need to put all their recent trouble behind them. The team cannot allow themselves to be distracted against a Napoli side who have already proven they can beat La Vecchia Signora. In the last six matches between these two teams, the Turin giants have won three times, drawn once and lost twice. The losses to Napoli have never been at home during these six ties and thus Juve will be confident of keeping their good record in Turin intact.

Napoli Sliding Down The Table

After being the surprise package of the first half of the season, Napoli have yet to pick up a win in 2009. Defeats to Genoa, Palermo, Fiorentina, Roma and draws against Udinese and Bologna have seen the team in an unstoppable slide down towards the bottom half of the standings.

The team just hasn't been able to get alive and kicking this year, and they will need to arrest their drop if European hopes are to be fulfilled. Valuable points have been dropped against direct rivals for a shot at continental football next term and it's not looking good. The club have been locked in a press silence for the last week. The lack of communication led a large number of fans to confront the players and staff at their Castelvolturno training ground on Wednesday evening. The angry faithful will have only added to the growing tension, and it's not what the club would have wanted.

Preparing for games against Juventus is never easy, but the recent trouble surrounding Edy Reja's side could help fire up the players and cause a shock upset in Turin. Points are desperately needed and three against Juve will seem like six given the negative situation Napoli find themselves in. A win in Turin will see the team reacquaint themselves with the top half of the Serie A table. However, only two wins away from home all season may hamper chances of glory come 20:30 CET on Saturday night.

Form Guide (Serie A)

Juventus

Feb 22: Palermo 2-0 Juventus

Feb 15: Juventus 1-1 Sampdoria

Feb 8: Catania 1-2 Juventus

Jan 31: Juventus 2-3 Cagliari

Jan 28: Udinese 2-1 Juventus

Jan 24: Juventus 1-0 Fiorentina

Napoli

Feb 22: Napoli 0-1 Genoa

Feb 14: Napoli 1-1 Bologna

Feb 8: Palermo 2-1 Napoli

Jan 31: Napoli 2-2 Udinese

Jan 28: Fiorentina 2-1 Napoli

Jan 25: Napoli 0-3 Roma

Team News

Juventus: Mauro Camoranesi will be out after suffering a fractured rib against Chelsea. Jorge Andrade is still out for the long term while Cristiano Zanetti and Paolo De Ceglie are missing with minor knocks. The rest of the team trained regularly on Thursday and no-one reported any further problems.

Probable Starting XI 4-4-2: Buffon, Grygera, Mellberg, Chiellini, Molinaro, Marchionni, Sissoko, Marchisio, Giovinco, Iaquinta, Trezeguet.

Napoli: Walter Gargano will miss the trip to Turin after suffering a bruise to his left foot during training. The midfielder has been ordered to rest by doctor Mariani and he should be back next week. The rest of the squad trained as normal, but Genaro Iezzo, Matteo Gianello, Luca Grava and Marcelo Zalayeta are all out with various injuries. Daniele Mannini remains suspended after the Court of Arbitrations decision to ban him for a year after turning up late to a doping test.

Probable Starting XI 3-5-2: Navarro, Santacroce, Cannavaro, Contini, Maggio, Blasi, Pazienza, Hamsik, Vitale, Russotto, Lavezzi.

Players To Watch

Juventus: Keep an eye out for David Trezeguet. The Frenchman was allowed a few minutes against Chelsea, but showed his prowess as he almost scored with his first touch of the ball. The hitman wants to be a regular in Ranieri's team and he is itching to prove he hasn't lost his magic despite his recent injury woes.

Napoli: The spotlight will be on Marek Hamsik. He has been Napoli's leader and talisman this season. The Slovakian has been outstanding, but he has been firing blanks recently. However, Hamsik raises his game against the big teams and thus he could be the main threat for Juve.

Prediction

Juventus against Napoli is always a special game for both players and fans. In recent times results between them have been closer than expected, with even a few shock results served up. The Bianconeri will be confident of getting the right result at home, but Napoli will not be heading to Turin for some sightseeing. Expect a hard battle, especially in midfield. The Azzurri will be fired up and they are capable of doing the business against Juve.

Juventus 2-1 Napoli

Salvatore Landolina, Goal.com

Thank you for your comment!

Please enter your name

Please enter your location

Please share your comment!