All eyes turn to the Allianz Stadium this Sunday evening for an eagerly awaited clash between Juventus and Napoli in the tenth round of Serie A.
Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti made several changes to his starting line-up, in personnel and tactical shape alike, searching for solutions to put the team back on track.
Juventus's starting line-up was as follows:
Juventus (4-3-2-1): Vicario; Kalulu, Bremer, Lokomi, Cabal; McKennie, Douglas Luiz, Koopmeiners; Woltemade, Alagbegovic; Kolo Muani.
Substitutes' bench: Pinsoglio, Neto, Gatti, Kelly, Zhegrova, Pogba, Ikator, Cambiaso, Rugani, Sarr.
Napoli, meanwhile, enter the clash under Massimiliano Allegri in unusual circumstances that forced him into a few adjustments of his own.
Rasmus Hojlund is out with a fever. Allegri has opted to keep Amir Rrahmani on the bench, with Milenkovic missing the match through a muscular injury.
Napoli's starting line-up was as follows:
Napoli (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Marianucci, Rafa Marin, Olivera; Anguissa, De Bruyne, McTominay; Politano, Lucca, Lang.
These are not happy times for Juventus. The defeat to Genoa cranked up the pressure and raised fresh questions about their level and results.
Looking to steady the ship, the club gave its players a few days off before holding talks inside the dressing room, hoping to shake off the recent slip and prepare properly for Napoli. Spalletti and his players must now show character and fighting spirit in an important test, one that could hand them a chance to rebuild confidence against strong opposition.
The Juventus bus pulled up at the Allianz Stadium an hour and a half before kick-off, greeted by a mass reception from fans keen to encourage the players, without any jeers. The Bianconeri supporters belted out their chants time and again, a clear message to the players and coaching staff: the backing is still there, but in return they want a strong reaction on the pitch and a way out of this difficult spell.