On Sunday night, Juventus will be looking to clinch their first victory over Napoli at the Maradona Stadium in five years.
With the Italian champions enduring their worst campaign in recent memory, this could be an inviting chance for the Bianconeri to complete the league double over their old rivals.
In the reverse fixture, Federico Gatti emerged as the hero at a time when the Bianconeri were enjoying a purple patch.
Nevertheless, Max Allegri’s men suffered a worrying dip in form in the previous weeks, and despite returning to the winning column last weekend, the team isn’t out of the dark tunnel just yet.
In fact, Juve’s relatively easy run of fixtures has ended, and several stern tests await the Old Lady, starting with tonight’s showdown in Naples.
To make matters even more complicated, Allegri will have to negotiate the tie with a depleted midfield in the absence of regular starters Adrien Rabiot and Weston McKennie.
So all in all, this might be a daunting task for the Bianconeri in front of a hostile crowd, but here are three keys that might lead them to victory if applied.
Pressing Lobotka
Even though Stanislav Lobotka’s current form is hardly comparable to last season, he remains the lynchpin that holds it all together for Napoli.
Therefore, it is paramount to prevent the Slovakian from operating freely in the middle of the park. This sounds like a mission for Carlos Alcaraz who will be eager to prove his worth on his full debut.
Numbers at the Back
Although we’re merely stating the obvious, it is very important for Juventus to have a numerical advantage at the back against the dangerous trio of Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Matteo Politano.
Juventus arguably possess the best defender in Serie A in the shape of Gleison Bremer. Yet, Osimhen could still manage to turn against the Brazilian on one or two occasions.
Thus, a fellow Bianconero should be available to come to the rescue when needed. The same goes for Kvara and Politano who love to beat their marker on the flanks.
Hence, we expect Manuel Locatelli, the rest of the midfield bunch and the wingbacks to go the extra mile by offering their full support to the backline in their daunting mission.
Deep Crosses
This season, Napoli lack a dominant force at the back like Kalidou Koulibaly or Kim Min-jae, and it has certainly been a plaguing issue for the club this season, as evidenced by their knack for conceding goals from deep crosses, with the likes of Amir Rrahmani and Juan Jesus struggle to properly deal with the situation.
Now certainly the aforementioned duo are no slouches, but they do have their weaknesses, mainly in air duels.
Therefore, we can only hope that Filip Kostic, Andrea Cambiaso and Federico Chiesa can provide Dusan Vlahovic with quality deliveries, as we expect the latter to make good use of it, especially since he’s enjoying a great run of form.
