On the evening of the most anticipated match of the Italian championship this season will take place. The team leading the competition, "Napoli", who have been demonstrating incredibly good form, will travel to Turin to face an even stronger team in recent times, "Juventus". Today at 21:45 in the most important match of the "Serie A" season, we will witness a clash between two of the strongest teams in Italy and see with our own eyes if "Napoli" is capable enough to dethrone the champions of the last four seasons.
"Juventus" vs "Napoli"
Match time and location: on February 13 at 21:45 at the "Juventus" stadium in Turin;
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli was supposed to be the referee of the match, but 48 hours before the start of the match, he suffered an injury and was replaced by Daniel Orsato. By the way, Rizzoli has been accused twice recently of favoring the "Juventus" team. Yesterday the referee revealed that Paolo Liguori, who made such accusations, will be taken to court for slander.
Head-to-head history: "Juventus" has won 70 times, "Napoli" has celebrated victory 32 times, and 50 matches ended in a draw.
Team form: "Juventus" (14 consecutive wins), "Napoli" (8 consecutive wins);
Tournament situation: After 24 rounds, "Napoli" has 56 points and is leading the league, with "Juventus" following closely with 54 points in second place.
Team news:
"Juventus":
The record-breaking "Juventus" team continues to win despite being without injured defenders Giorgio Chiellini and Martin Caceres, midfielder Kwadwo Asamoah, forward Mario Mandzukic, and goalkeeper Rubinho. Good news for Turin supporters is that midfielder Sami Khedira has completed his rehabilitation and should be ready to play.
Unlike their opponents, "Napoli" team does not have injury concerns. The only player who is still unable to help the team is Alberto Grassi, who has not played a single game this season for "Napoli".
Team fans may have been slightly worried by last week's match against "Carpi". Even though "Napoli" clearly dominated the game (76% ball possession, 13 corners, and 22 shots), they failed to score from open play. However, they earned a penalty kick, which was coolly converted by the league's top scorer - Gonzalo Higuain, extending the team's winning streak to eight.
Predicted lineups:
"Juventus" (3-5-2): Gigi Buffon; Daniele Rugani, Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli; Stephan Lichtsteiner, Stefano Sturaro, Claudio Marchisio, Paul Pogba, Alex Sandro; Alvaro Morata, Paulo Dybala.
"Napoli" (4-3-3): Pepe Reina; Elseid Hysaj, Raul Albiol, Kalidou Koulibaly, Faouzi Ghoulam; Allan, Jorginho, Marek Hamsik; Jose Callejon, Gonzalo Higuain, Lorenzo Insigne.
Key statistics ahead of the match:
• Juventus have won 14 consecutive matches in the Serie A championship. This is not only a club record but also the second-longest winning streak in the history of the Italian league. The absolute record belongs to Inter Milan players, who won 17 consecutive matches in the 2006-2007 season;
• Napoli is also in impressive form, having won 8 matches in a row. This is the best achievement in the club's history;
• In all four previous meetings between these two clubs in the Serie A championship, the hosts easily won at the new Juventus stadium. All victories were won by at least a 2-goal margin, with a total scoreline of 11-1;
• If Napoli wins today's match, they will have beaten their opponents in Turin twice this season. They have achieved this feat only three times before in the 1957-1958, 1986-1987, and 2009-2010 seasons;
• Juventus is the best defensive team in the league - they have conceded 15 goals. Meanwhile, their opponents have the best attack and have scored 53 goals;
• Napoli's striker Gonzalo Higuain has scored 24 goals in 24 matches. He is just three goals away from his best European achievement. Representing Real Madrid in the 2009-2010 season, he scored 27 goals;
• Juventus player Paulo Dybala is the youngest player in the top five European leagues to contribute to at least 20 goals. The 22-year-old Argentine has scored 13 goals in the Serie A championship and provided 8 assists.
