Many of the potential relegation candidates face games against tough opposition this weekend in Serie A, however the stand-out fixture is clearly the potential title decider when Juventus host Napoli.
All eyes on Juve-Napoli
After Juventus could only draw with Crotone in midweek, Napoli moved within four points of the reigning champions with a 4-2 victory over Udinese to set up a fascinating encounter between the pair on Sunday evening in Turin. The Bianconeri have won their last six home matches versus the Partenopei in all competitions but with so much at stake we could see an unexpected result here.
Maurizio Sarri’s men have certainly developed a higher level of resilience this term alongside their usual easy-on-the-eye short passing style. This has brought them closer than ever to breaking the dominance of the Turin giants, who have won the Scudetto the last six seasons in a row.
Disappointing draws with Sassuolo and Milan have each been followed up with a win each time in the past month whereby last season the Partenopei may have crumbled under the pressure. This team have gained the most points from any side in Serie A from trailing situations (28), proving their resilience has improved. It will certainly not be easy to overcome such a strong opponent, but Sarri is clearly ready to give it his best shot.
“Clearly, it’s difficult to go to Turin and try to get the victory,” declared the tactician to reporters after the midweek round. “In terms of strength in depth, I think Juventus are the most complete team in Europe. We’ll give it our best shot.”
After being criticised for a lack of squad rotation as the end of the season draws near, the Coach made four changes to his usual XI in the midweek win over Udinese including a starting spot for striker Arkadiusz Milik in place of Dries Mertens. The Italian press have reported that the Poland international may even retain his place for the match away to Juve, with the home side also reportedly considering a start for Douglas Costa over Paulo Dybala.
There may be some worrying signs for Max Allegri as after his Bianconeri side kept ten clean sheets in a row, they have conceded in three of the last four league outings. Napoli are also unbeaten in the last 29 domestic away matches, however their last defeat was in October 2016 away to Juventus.
The Old Lady has an additional weapon up her sleeve in the way of former Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain. The hitman will reach his 100th game with Juve on Sunday evening since arriving from Naples in summer 2016 having scored 54 goals in that time, five of which were against his old club.
Difficult matches for relegation candidates
There are still just six points between Crotone in 18th place and Sassuolo in 13th, as the battle to beat the drop looks set to go right down to the wire this term. Benevento could well be mathematically relegated this week as they face a tough encounter versus Milan at San Siro, while Hellas Verona must win versus Genoa on Monday, the Gialloblu are looking like they may face the drop as they sit four points adrift of safety.
SPAL and Sassuolo are in good form but face Roma and Fiorentina respectively, teams that are themselves fighting for a European place come the end of the season. Chievo have managed two 0-0 draws in their last two matches but host an Inter side that beat Cagliari 4-0 in midweek. The latter side host mid-table Bologna on Sunday lunchtime, while Udinese-Crotone is a direct head-to-head in what is turning out to be a fascinating battle to avoid the drop to Serie B.
