Napoli look to bounce back from their disappointing exit from the Champions League while Juventus, whose 15-point penalty was reversed on Thursday, look to avenge their 5-1 defeat to Napoli in January.
Juventus FC
Juventus won only one of their last five matches in all competitions – a 1-0 victory over Sporting in the first leg of their Europa League tie. On Thursday, the Bianconeri hung on for a 1-1 draw to advance to the Semi-finals. Earlier that day, the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI), which is the highest sports court in Italy, suspended Juventus’ 15-point deduction and referred the case back to the federal court of appeals for a new trial.
With the decision, Juventus shot up to third in the Serie A table, 16 points behind league leaders Napoli and only two points behind Lazio. With Lazio’s defeat to Torino on Saturday, a win on Sunday would see La Vecchia Signora overtake the Biancocelesti while reducing the gap to Napoli to 13 points.
Like every Serie A club, Juventus’ league results have been inconsistent. Prior to consecutive defeats to Lazio and Sassuolo, the Bianconeri won seven out of eight matches, losing only to Roma. In typical Allegri fashion, Juventus have prioritized defending over attacking. Only Napoli and Lazio have conceded fewer goals.
SSC Napoli
Like Juventus, Napoli have also won only once in their last five matches in all competitions – an unconvincing 1-2 victory over Lecce. The Azzurri followed up a scoreless draw against Hellas Verona with a 1-1 draw against Milan, ending their Champions League run in the Quarter-finals.
As a result, Napoli can focus all of their attention on winning the club’s first scudetto in 33 years. With Lazio’s defeat to to Torino, the Partenopei need only 8 points from the final eight matches to guarantee top spot.
The Azzurri will be short a few players on Sunday, after Matteo Politano, Mario Rui and Amir Rrahmani picked up injuries against Milan. However, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Kim Min-jae will both be rested, having been suspended for the second leg against the Rossoneri.
Injuries/Suspensions
Moise Kean is expected to miss his second consecutive match due to a muscle injury. Kaio Jorge is out for the season after having surgery in January to repair a rupture of the patellar tendon of his right knee. Bremer was taken out of the Sporting match on Thursday with a thigh injury, but Allegri confirmed in his pre-match conference that the central defender is fit to play on Sunday.
For Napoli, Giovanni Simeone continues to recover from the muscle injury he suffered playing against Lecce. Meanwhile, both Matteo Politano and Amir Rrahmani suffered ankle sprains on Tuesday. Politano is expected to miss at least 2-3 weeks with a first degree sprain. Rrahmani’s injury is less serious. The central defender was named to the matchday squad but is not expected to feature. Finally, Mario Rui could be out for the remainder of the season. The Napoli left back suffered an infringement of the head of the right fibula. Recovery times are typically 3-5 weeks, but if Napoli have already guaranteed a Scudetto before he returns, then the defender is not likely to feature again this season.
Probable Formations
Manager’s Comments
Massimiliano Allegri:
“Napoli are on their way to winning the Scudetto. They have had an extraordinary championship and are deservedly on top. It will be a difficult match against a strong team. Their match against Milan was highly technical. Napoli played the same way they have been playing all season, they are in excellent physical condition. What’s more, we’re up against a team out to make amends.”
Luciano Spalletti:
No pre-match press conference
Previous Meetings
| January 13, 2023 | SSC Napoli | 5-1 | Juventus FC |
| January 6, 2022 | Juventus FC | 1-1 | SSC Napoli |
| September 11, 2021 | SSC Napoli | 2-1 | Juventus FC |
| April 7, 2021 | Juventus FC | 2-1 | SSC Napoli |
| February 13, 2021 | SSC Napoli | 1-0 | Juventus FC |
Match Officials
Head Official: Michael Fabbri
Assistants: Niccolo Pagliardini and Mattia Scarpa
Fourth Official: Luca Massimi
VAR: Gianluca Aureliano and Ivano Pezzuto
