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Napoli will look to gain the upper hand in the Serie A title race when they host fierce rivals Juventus on Sunday in what promises to be another pivotal chapter in one of Europe’s closest championship battles.
The reigning champions are currently level on points with leaders AC Milan, trailing only on goal difference, and could move clear at the top at least temporarily with victory, ahead of Milan’s visit to Torino on Monday.
Few victories would carry greater significance for Napoli than one over Juventus, a club long associated with northern Italy’s dominance of domestic football.
For once, however, the balance of power has tilted south, with Napoli having won two of the last three league titles and establishing themselves as the main challengers to Inter Milan, the other dominant force of recent seasons.
Despite the emotional weight of the fixture, Napoli manager Antonio Conte played down the occasion following his side’s narrow Italian Cup win on Wednesday, stressing that it was simply another league match with points at stake.
The former Juventus player and coach acknowledged that both teams would fight hard for victory but refused to treat the clash as anything more than part of a long campaign.
Juventus, by contrast, have struggled to rediscover their former dominance since lifting their last title during the coronavirus-affected season.
A combination of uneven performances and off-field issues has seen them slip behind Napoli and the two Milan clubs, and they currently sit seventh, five points adrift of Conte’s side.
The Turin club are already on their third manager of 2025, with Luciano Spalletti having replaced Igor Tudor in late October in a bid to halt the slide.
Spalletti will be without key striker Dusan Vlahovic, who is ruled out until March with a groin injury, while defender Federico Gatti is also sidelined after undergoing surgery on a damaged meniscus picked up in the midweek cup victory over Udinese.
Napoli are not without problems of their own, as Conte is dealing with a lengthy injury list that includes Stanislav Lobotka, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Andre-Frank Anguissa.
Even so, his side have shown resilience in key matches, particularly in last weekend’s narrow win away to Roma, who remain firmly in the title hunt alongside Inter.
Roma host Cagliari later on Sunday, while Inter face a difficult encounter at the San Siro against in-form Como.
The visitors are fifth, three points behind the leading pack, and arrive on an 11-match unbeaten run, ensuring that the battle at the top looks set to remain tightly contested.
