The wait is over as club football and our favourite league Serie A returns to action this weekend, with Napoli welcoming Juventus at Estadio Diego Armando Maradona on Saturday.
Despite being the ones to sack their old manager and hire a new one last summer, both clubs, regarded as the Scudetto aspirants this season, have begun their domestic campaign in a contradictory manner.
🗞 The boss talks #NapoliJuve 👇
— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) September 10, 2021
While Napoli remain unbeaten in the Serie A this season, Juventus have lost one and drawn one so far, accumulating just one point from two winnable matches and commencing their time under a returning Massimiliano Allegri regime in an unenthusiastic fashion.
As a result, Juve stand 12th in the points table, with the difference of four goals separating Napoli (who currently sit in fifth) from early table-toppers SS Lazio, who have recorded a goal difference of seven — four more than that of Napoli — from two matches thus far.
Having lost Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer transfer market, Juventus succumbed to an unexpected 1-0 defeat against newly-promoted Empoli in the previous matchday. On the other hand, Napoli salvaged a narrow 2-1 victory against Genoa in their last Serie A outing.
While Juventus were preparing for the mega encounter with the club from Naples amid the one-week long international break, I Partenopei, missing a glut of its first-team players, played out a friendly against Benevento, where they bitterly chewed a 5-1 loss to last season’s relegated side.
3 Key Napoli players Juventus should be wary of
Players from both clubs are learning their trade under the new gaffers, with Luciano Spalletti still trying to inculcate his methods and ideas on the current Napoli side. Here are three players who, if in form, could further spoil the part for the Bianconeri confirmed to be without their South American contingent due to CONMEBOL’s extended intentional window.
3. Matteo Politano
The tattoo of a roaring lion covering his back is certainly not the most amazing thing about Matteo Politano. Then what is? Oh, you will get to witness this Saturday. Left-footed, Politano is considered one of the most gifted footballers in Italy. Yes, he sometimes struggles with keeping up the requisite consistency. But on his day, he is as good as any world-beater.
Last season, the 28-year-old garnered 12 goals and five assists from 50 appearances encompassing 2,669 minutes of football for Napoli across all competitions, according to the stats from Transfermarkt.
The third-highest goalscorer for Gli Azzurri last season, Politano scored goals in crucial games against Atalanta, AS Roma, AC Milan, and SS Lazio, suggesting that he has a thirst for blood in the big matches and against superior opponents.
Unfortunately, the sheer comedy of destiny hit them hard, with Napoli’s 1-1 draw in the final Serie A game against Hellas Verona last season snatching a Champions League spot away from the former’s grasp.
Politano has played Napoli’s every match from the beginning in the 2021/22 season. Laying off a mild pass to Fabián Ruiz, the diminutive trickster became responsible for assisting Napoli’s first goal against Genoa. That said, the Italian inside-forward, being a trump card under Spalletti’s sleeves, is expected to start the game against Juventus.
Usually operating from Napoli’s right-hand side, his dancing heels could bear worrying signs for the Bianconeri on Saturday. Using his low centre of gravity, Politano could easily manipulate his counterpart and penetrate a rearguard.
If it suddenly turns out to be one of those matches where everything clicks for him, it could be a long night for the Juventus defence-line marred by the unavailability of Alex Sandro, Juan Cuadrado and Danilo.