Article by Raffaele (@ItalianoCalcio
Napoli vs. Juventus, need I say anymore? Serie A will return this weekend from the international break and it returns with a bang. The marquee game on Sunday is Napoli-Juventus at the San Paolo. The two rivals are currently separated by 10 points in the standings, but this is bigger than that. Gonzalo Higuain, a player that Napoli fans adored for the past threeyears, one they called their own, returns as an enemy.
Juventus paid €90 million for Higuain in the summer, a record amount spent on one player by a Serie A club. As if the Napoli-Juventus rivalry needed any more ammunition, it got just that. Napoli fans felt betrayed by Higuain, how could one of theirs join a rival? Juventus did not care, they set out a mission to build a better, stronger team by adding Higuain, and did just that.
It wasn’t always this way between Napoli fans and Higuain. The Argentine striker gave all he had to Napoli for three years. He helped grow their brand throughout Europe and set the Serie A goal scoring record (36 goals) last season. Higuain helped Napoli beat Juventus in the Italian Super Cup back in 2014 by scoring two goals. Sarri recently said that Higuian “did a lot” for Napoli. This Sunday will be the third time Higuain faces his former club, first time at the San Paolo. Higuain has scored in each of the first two games against Napoli and surely would like to add another to his tally.
There is a lot of controversy entering this game stemming from their last meeting in Coppa Italia. The biggest microscope will not be on Higuain, Mertens, or any other player, but on the referee. Napoli fans at the San Paolo will jump on every call the referee makes.
Max Allegri and Maurizio Sarri are widely regarded as the two best coaches in Serie A and these masters of their trade will go wit for wit on Sunday. Sarri recently edged out Allegri and won the award for best coach in Serie A for last season. Allegri will be looking to get the better of Sarri this time around. It seems that Sarri will opt to start Mertens up top, Napoli’s leading goal scorer, over a more traditional striker Pavoletti or Milik. Another key to pay attention to is whether Sarri relies on his more experienced midfielders like, Allan and Jorginho, or he turns to the youth of Diawara or Zielinski. Sarri trusted Diawarato start in the Champions League against Real Madrid and may give him the nod against Juventus.
In recent head-to-head games, Juventus has won the last three overall meetings by a combined score of 6-2, and has won 5 out of their last 6 games. No team has scored more goals than Napoli this season in Serie A with 68, and no team has conceded fewer goals than Juventus with 19. It will be Napoli’s fire vs. Juventus’ brick wall. Don’t overlook Juve’s attack, which features the Argentine duo of Dybala and Higuain. Napoli’s defense has been shaky of late and there is talk that Pepe Reina could miss the game due to an injury.
This game means a lot to Napoli, who are playing to finish in the top 3 and qualify for the Champions League next season. This game has meaning to Juventus, but they are well on their way to a 6th straight Serie A title. Juventus are more focused on Barcelona and their upcoming matchup in the Champions League.
Drama, tension, and emotions will be high at a packed San Paolo. Napoli vs. Juventus is a must watch this Sunday whether you are a Serie A fan or not. It is games like this why we love Italian football.
