Two of Italian football's biggest clubs will meet on Saturday evening when Juventus take on Napoli in Turin.
The Bianconeri have wrapped up a league and cup double and can extend their unbeaten home run to a second straight season, but their opponents will be on the hunt for three vital points as they bid to reach the Champions League.
Juventus
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This season just keeps getting better with each passing week for Juventus and they are now on the verge of landing a historic treble for the first time in their 117-year history.
Having already won the Serie A title earlier this month, they added the Coppa Italia to their growing list of honours by claiming a 2-1 victory over Lazio on Wednesday evening.
They got off to the worst possible start by conceding inside of four minutes, but Giorgio Chiellini flicked in a quick equaliser and Alessandro Matri completed the comeback with an extra-time winner to seal a domestic double and their first victory in the cup for 20 years.
Their next target is to win the Champions League final against Barcelona in two weeks, and if the La Liga giants manage to win the Copa del Rey final next weekend, then it will be a straight shootout to decide which club lands a treble.
Massimiliano Allegri's side still have two games left until that European clash and their first order of business will be to finish their league campaign with an unbeaten home record for the second straight season.
Their last defeat in Serie A in front of their own supporters came in a 2-1 reverse against Sampdoria over two years ago and they have gone 46 games since without a loss. They actually won every single home game in the league last time around and have dropped points just three times this season.
The Bianconeri will be expected to rest a number of players this weekend following their cup success, but even without some of their key squad members, they are still a formidable foe and last weekend they were victorious against Inter Milan with a second-string lineup.
Recent form in Serie A: WLWWDW
Recent form (all competitions): WWDDWW
Napoli
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While everything has been going perfectly for Juventus, the exact opposite can be said of Napoli, who have seen their season crumble around them in the past month.
They seemed to have recovered from a bad run of form in March, by claiming three wins on the spin that saw them edge closer to the top three. However, a damaging 4-2 defeat against Empoli three weeks ago stopped them in their tracks.
The Azzurri bounced back a few days later with a 3-0 win over AC Milan, but their inconsistency came back to haunt them in their next match, with already-relegated Parma holding them to a 2-2 draw.
It seemed as if they would falter again on Monday evening after falling behind early on against Cesena, but they fought back to earn a 3-2 victory that has moved them to within three points of third-placed Lazio. That result means that they would move level with Lazio with a win against Juventus and crucially ahead of the Rome club based on their head-to-head record.
Anything other than a win this weekend would seriously damage their Champions League chances and would leave them hoping for a Roma victory in the Derby della Capitale next Monday. That would ensure that they can still pip Lazio to third spot when they meet on the final day of the season.
It is not just in the league where they have been poor, as they were dumped out of the Europa League by underdogs Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk last Thursday at the semi-final stage.
Their cause has not been helped by the constant speculation surrounding manager Rafael Benitez and the Spaniard has recently been linked with a move to Real Madrid when his contract expires in the summer. Gonzalo Higuain has also been tipped to leave Naples, so the club could be in for a difficult time ahead trying to convince them to stay if they fail to land a Champions League spot.
Recent form in Serie A: WWLWDW
Recent form (all competitions): LWDDLW
Team News
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Juventus will have to make do without Stephan Lichtsteiner, who sits the game out with a ban.
He is expected to be replaced by Simone Padoin at right-back, while there could be a number of other changes to the team that started the cup final.
Carlos Tevez, Andrea Pirlo and Chiellini could all be rested, but Claudio Marchisio and Alvaro Morata are likely to start after being banned in midweek.
Meanwhile, Kalidou Koulibaly is suspended for Napoli, so Miguel Britos should come into the defence to partner Raul Albiol.
Higuain will come back into the starting lineup and Dries Mertens could keep his spot in the attack after scoring twice against Cesena, but Lorenzo Insigne may be chosen ahead of him.
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Buffon, Padoin, Barzagli, Bonucci, De Ceglie, Sturaro, Marchisio, Vidal, Pereyra, Morata, Matri
Napoli possible starting lineup:
Andujar, Maggio, Albiol, Britos, Ghoulam, Lopez, Inler, Callejon, Hamsik, Mertens, Higuain
Head To Head
In this season's reverse fixture Juventus came out on top with a 3-1 victory over Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo.
However, Napoli prevailed in the final of this season's Super Cup by beating the Old Lady in a penalty shootout following a 2-2 draw in Doha.
The Azzurri don't have the worst record against their opponents, but they have not beaten Juventus away from home in Serie A since October 2009.
We say: Juventus 1-1 Napoli
Juventus will be regarded as the favourites heading into the match, but it remains to be seen what team Allegri will play just days after their cup win. Napoli are sure to be at full strength and know that anything other than a win could spell the end of their Champions League hopes. It is sure to be a competitive and hard-fought game in Turin and we believe that it will end all square.
Alex Meyers
