Napoli - Juventus predictions and free betting tips [03/03/2024]

Today as part of the 27th round of the Italian Serie A, Napoli will host Juventus on their home ground. If in the middle of the week the Scudetto holders swept all the accumulated anger on Sassuolo, then Juve's hard-fought victory last weekend finally ended their worrying series without victories for the Bianconeri.

Probable Lineups

Napoli: Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rahmani, Jesus, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka, Zielinski; Politano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia.
Juventus: Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cambiasso, Miretti, Locatelli, Alcaraz, Kostic; Chiesa, Vlahovic.

Napoli

Napoli were pleased to win the Scudetto in May 2020, their first since 1990. Unfortunately, the current campaign is far from repeating this success: the Southerners now occupy only the ninth place in the overall Serie A standings. They are 8 points behind the top four, hence qualifying for the Champions League will be tough. On the other hand, qualification to Euro cups remains feasible (they are 4 points behind sixth place). Last week, Napoli made a real rout of Sassuolo (6:1), this result ending a series of 3 unsuccessful matches (2 draws and 1 defeat) – Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored a double and Victor Osimhen completed a hat-trick. Moreover, the Nigerian became only the third player in club history to achieve such a feat in four consecutive Serie A seasons, and the first since Diego Maradona in the 1980s.

Under the management of Francesco Calzona, who was appointed head coach in February, the team played a 1:1 draw with Barcelona in the first match of the Champions League 1/8 finals. Striker Ngonge, who joined the club in winter, is injured again; the same applies to the midfielder Kauste. On the other hand, the head coach can rely on Osimhen (11 goals and 3 assists), and alongside him in attack will appear Politano wingers (6 goals and 5 assists) and Kvaratskhelia (8 goals and 4 assists). Since his appointment, Francesco Calzona has not made any serious tactical changes, hence we will see the same four defenders with Rahmani and Jesus in the centre again.

Juventus

Having missed the European cups this season, Juventus take advantage of a less crowded calendar and sit in second place in the Serie A standings. However, the Old Lady, who has long been fighting with Inter for the Scudetto, now trails the Nerazzurri by 12 points, although they are certain to secure a spot in the Champions League (they are 10 points ahead of fifth-placed Roma). Last weekend, the Bianconeri took a hard-fought victory over Frosinone with a score of 3:2, thus breaking a series of 4 matches without a win (2 draws and 2 losses). Dusan Vlahovic scored a double, bringing his individual indicator to 9 goals in the championship just in 2024, while Daniele Rugani netted the decisive goal against the Canaries in injury time. Let's also mention that Juventus have conceded at least once in each of the last five championship matches, which is their longest run without clean sheets in nearly two years.

Turin are second in the Serie A in terms of away results: they earned 27 points and scored 21 goals in 13 matches, while conceding 11. Numerous personnel losses afflict Juventus ahead of this match: defenders Danilo and De Sciglio, as well as Perin and Kean, are all in the infirmary. They were joined by midfielders Rabiot and McKennie, and winger Chiesa. Moreover, Fagioli continues to serve a disqualification for involvement in a betting scandal, while this week Paul Pogba was hit with a 4-year ban for doping. To compensate for these losses, winter recruit Carlos Alcaraz may start tonight's match. It is almost certain that Dusan Vlahovic (15 goals and 4 assists) will be on the point, while Milik can invigorate the game off the bench.

Head to Head

Following a 1:0 victory in the December match, Juve will strive to achieve a double over Napoli for the first time since the 2018-19 campaign.

Match Prediction

In the last 11 matches, each team has recorded 5 wins and there has been only one draw, suggesting Sunday's contest promises to be very evenly matched. The reigning champions are still seeking their old form, while the Turin slowed down in February, and an abundance of injuries doesn't allow Allegri to truly reinforce the game with substitutes. I would dare to bet on a draw here.

Total Prediction

The last two head-to-head matches ended without both teams scoring, but before that, both teams scored in four consecutive matches. I expect to see a high-scoring showdown this time, too.