As is tradition, the Italian Serie A after the Christmas break returns to the league routine on 6 January. And as a present, there are two top matches, with Juventus vs. Naples being one of them. At 20:45 CET, the fifth and the third will compete at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. The Bianconeri and the team from the city at the feet of Vesuvius have taken 34 and 39 points respectively so far. Juventus, however, left last year with a much better record than Naples. After all, Massimiliano Allegri’s team won six of its most recent championship matches and has been unbeaten for five of them. After a 1-1 draw in Venice on 11 December, they recently had two 2-0 in Bologna and at home against Cagliari.
On the other hand, Naples lost four of their last seven league appearances. Three of those defeats occurred in the last four games. From mid-December, the side coached by Luciano Spalletti suffered two 0-1 at home to Empoli as well as Spezia and a 1-0 at AC Milan. Simone Sozza referees the clash.
What speaks for Juventus?
- Won six of their last eight league games to date
- Did not concede a goal in the victorious matches
- Home advantage
What speaks for Naples?
- Usually, they always go one better in duels against their arch-rivals beyond comparison
- With their current record, so to speak, they have little to lose
- The regular centre-backs of the opponents could both be absent
For one of the top matches of the 20th matchday on Thursday, we offer you an interesting expert tip with odds of 1.77. You can place this football wager at the betting site Betway.
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Expert analysis Juventus
Massimiliano Allegri had certainly imagined his return to the Juventus bench would be easier. After parting ways with him in the summer of 2019, the Old Lady threaded with Maurizio Sarri their ninth league title. And last season under Andrea Pirlo was no bed of roses, but Juventus never found themselves in the second half of the table. Moreover, they lost six of their 38 championship matches.
In the 2021/2022 Serie A, Juventus, with a 0-1 at home to Atalanta, suffered on the 14th matchday their fifth defeat. At the same time, this was the last championship match so far against a team that ranks in the top half of the table.
The Bianconeri largely took advantage, dropping points only on 11 December with a 1-1 draw in Venice. That draw came after two 2-0s at Salernitana and at home to Genoa. And thereafter, Juventus prevailed just before Christmas with the same results at Bologna and again at the Allianz Stadium against Cagliari. Massimiliano Allegri’s team did not convince in any of these games, but at least they did not concede any goals. That is an essential factor for collecting points. And so, against the Sardinians, they achieved their sixth victory in eight championship games.
Now, however, the cards are being reshuffled. One reason for this is that in the Christmas period, the number of the COVID-19 infections shot up also in Italy. And Juventus could not spare themselves from that, as Giorgio Chiellini and Artur certainly miss out because of it. But that’s not all because there is a big question mark behind the second regular centre-back Leonardo Bonucci. The same applies to Kaio Jorge and Luca Pellegrini. Moreover, Danilo remains out with an injury.
Expert analysis Naples
The good news for Juventus is that Naples’ coach Luciano Spalletti also must overcome numerous absences. Eljif Elmas, Hirving Lozano and Victor Osimhen are also in quarantine because of COVID-19. As a result, the latter player also lost the possibility of playing with Nigeria at the Africa Cup. On the other hand, André Zambo Anguissa (Cameroon), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal) and Adam Ounas (Algeria) will play there. Furthermore, Mario Rui faces a suspension. And Andrea Petagna and Kévin Malcuit are doubtful.
Moreover, Naples was not really spoilt for success at the end of the past year. After all, the team from the city at the feet of Vesuvius won only twice in their seven appearances after the latest international break. And in five games in December, they only emerged victorious with a controversial 1-0 at AC Milan. They managed that after two home defeats to Atalanta (2-3) and Empoli (0-1). Thereafter, another damper followed on 22 December with a 0-1 in front of their home crowd against Spezia.
For these reasons, a point win for the visitors in the fixture Juventus vs. Naples match would represent a massive sensation. And paradoxically, the fact that they have nothing to lose now constitutes an advantage. Moreover, the Old Lady is the arch-rival beyond comparison and therefore the available players will step up a gear.
Head-to-head comparison Juventus – Naples
The first match between Juventus and Naples in the 2021/2022 Serie A on 11 September ended in a 2-1 home win for the side from Southern Italy. Furthermore, for example, the direct duels in the preview season saw home victories. Here, Juventus against Naples lost with 0-1 and won with 2-1.
Expert betting tip Juventus – Naples
If we look exclusively at the results of the last few weeks, almost everything would speak in favour of Juventus. And that even though the Old Lady has only played teams from the second half of the table. Naples also lost at home to Spezia.
However, it remains to be seen what effect the absences will have. Therefore, before Juventus vs. Naples, our betting tip is that less than 2.5 goals will be scored. This event applied to all the Old Lady’s last eight league games so far and even to a home win against Malmö in the Champions League. Moreover, all the most recent league appearances of the team from the city at the feet of Vesuvius have seen less than 2.5 goals.
Juventus vs. Naples – our betting tip: Under 2.5 goals, odds 1.77 at the bookmaker Betway.
