Napoli vs Juventus

Massimiliano Allegri has restored Juve's profile as title contenders after 18 months back at the helm, but the Week 18 opener will serve as a barometer as to ...

Juventus was a little more precarious in its most recent test and just about came away with a 1-0 win over Udinese thanks to Danilo’s 86th-minute decider. The Bianconeri are unbeaten in eight league fixtures and have a chance to move within four points of the pace-setters with a win, though the titans of Turin haven’t notched three points in Naples since March 2019. Massimiliano Allegri has restored Juve’s profile as title contenders after 18 months back at the helm, but the Week 18 opener will serve as a barometer as to whether Serie A’s most successful side is truly ‘back’.

It's a blockbuster, as league leaders Napoli take on second-place Juventus in a battle at the top of the Serie A table on Friday night.

They will return to league action with a home game against Gian Piero Gasperrini's Atalanta in a tricky-looking fixture, followed by another league encounter against Monza at the Allianz Stadium to cap off the month of January. Napoli have the best attack in the Italian top-flight, having found the back of the net 39 times so far this season, while Juventus have the meanest defence in the league, conceding just 7 league goals as of yet. Napoli's outstanding season has been helped by their imperious home form, as they have yet to taste defeat in front of their fans.

The Bianconeri started the season off poorly with disappointing results in both Serie A and Champions League campaigns. The European journey has been a disaster ...

The Italian coach, despite multiple key players injured, decided to shift from a four-man defense to a three-man defense, and from that moment on Juventus didn't concede a single goal in Serie A. American International Weston McKennie, despite the interest of multiple European clubs, was also a starter and Allegri played him in different roles: as a winger but also as a central midfielder alongside Adrien Rabiot and Manuel Locatelli. Juventus lost their crown to Inter Milan for the first time in nine years and the feeling was that Allegri needed to restore the winning spirit in the environment. Juventus won trophies with both Maurizio Sarri (one Scudetto) and Andrea Pirlo (one Coppa Italia and one Super Cup) but the feeling around the club was different and Allegri was called back by President Andrea Agnelli to oversee a new cycle. That's the main reason why he was called back at the club in the summer of 2021 after a two-year break from coaching. The European journey has been a disaster, with Allegri's side eliminated in the group phase, losing twice against Benfica and Paris Saint Germain and also away against Maccabi Haifa.

Juventus start Arkadiusz Milik against his former club with Federico Chiesa and Angel Di Maria, while Napoli trust Victor Osimhen and Kvicha Kvaratskhelia ...

[Danilo](https://football-italia.net/player/danilo/), [Bremer](https://football-italia.net/player/bremer/), Alex [Sandro](https://football-italia.net/player/sandro/); Chiesa, McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Di Maria, Milik [Leonardo Bonucci](https://football-italia.net/player/leonardo-bonucci/), [Dusan Vlahovic](https://football-italia.net/player/dusan-vlahovic/), [Juan Cuadrado](https://football-italia.net/player/juan-cuadrado/), [Mattia De Sciglio](https://football-italia.net/player/mattia-de-sciglio/), [Paul Pogba](https://football-italia.net/player/paul-pogba/) and [Kaio](https://football-italia.net/player/kaio/) [Jorge](https://football-italia.net/player/jorge/), but Gleison [Bremer](https://football-italia.net/player/bremer/) is back in the squad. [Weston McKennie](https://football-italia.net/player/weston-mckennie/), but instead it is [Nicolò Fagioli](https://football-italia.net/player/nicolo-fagioli/) who is dropped. [Matteo Politano](https://football-italia.net/player/matteo-politano/), leaving [Giacomo Raspadori](https://football-italia.net/player/giacomo-raspadori/) on the bench. [Juventus](/teams/juventus) start [Arkadiusz Milik](https://football-italia.net/player/arkadiusz-milik/) against his former club with [Federico Chiesa](https://football-italia.net/player/federico-chiesa/) and Angel Di Maria, while [Napoli](/teams/napoli) trust [Victor Osimhen](https://football-italia.net/player/victor-osimhen/) and Kvicha Kvaratskhelia in this top of the table showdown. [You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the LIVEBLOG.](https://football-italia.net/serie-a-liveblog-napoli-vs-juventus/)

Get the latest Football updates on Eurosport. Catch Napoli - Juventus live on 13/01/2023. Find scores, stats and comments in real time.

And there goes the final whistle! That's a tenth successive home win for Napoli. If you missed any of the action - here's our full report

ESPN · Victor Osimhen (14', 65') · Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (39') · Amir Rrahmani (55') · Eljif Elmas (72').

21, while Juve host sixth-placed [Atalanta](/soccer/team?id=105) a day later. The last time they were subjected to such a rout was the 5-1 loss by Pescara in May 1993. We tried to turn it around towards half-time, but Napoli fully deserved [to win]." The Neapolitans are always behind us but this team was able to recreate love for these colours." Juventus slipped to third but are level on 37 points with second-placed [Wojciech Szczesny](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/131634/Wojciech-Szczesny) saved a close-range bicycle kick by winger [Khvicha Kvaratskhelia](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/274745/Khvicha-Kvaratskhelia) but failed to deny [Victor Osimhen](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/228296/Victor-Osimhen)'s follow-up with a header.

Victor Osimhen (14', 65') · Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (39') · Amir Rrahmani (55') · Eljif Elmas (72').

21, while Juve host sixth-placed [Atalanta](/soccer/team?id=105) a day later. The last time they were subjected to such a rout was the 5-1 loss by Pescara in May 1993. We tried to turn it around towards half-time, but Napoli fully deserved [to win]." The Neapolitans are always behind us but this team was able to recreate love for these colours." Juventus slipped to third but are level on 37 points with second-placed [Wojciech Szczesny](http://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/131634/Wojciech-Szczesny) saved a close-range bicycle kick by winger [Khvicha Kvaratskhelia](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/274745/Khvicha-Kvaratskhelia) but failed to deny [Victor Osimhen](https://www.espn.com/soccer/player/_/id/228296/Victor-Osimhen)'s follow-up with a header.