Soccer predictions online for Napoli – Juventus

Napoli hosts Juventus at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in a match from the third round of the Italian Serie A. Let’s see what’s going here in our soccer predictions online.

Napoli started the new season entirely according to plan under their new head coach Luciano Spalletti. The Azzurri won both of their matches so far securing the three points against Venezia and Genoa. In these two matches Napoli scored two goals and conceded just once. The former champions are currently 5th in the standings with a perfect record of 6 points.

Just before the international break Napoli paid a visit to face Genoa and celebrated a 2-1 win at the Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris. Fabian Ruiz opened the score for Napoli while Andrea Petagna scored the decisive winning goal just six minutes before the end of the game. Petagna entered the pitch just two minutes earlier and scored the winner after an assist from Mario Rui.

Spalletti can be satisfied with the way his team performs so far. Napoli were not perfect in their last match in Genova, but they did what was the most important in this case – they won the game. The new head coach is still trying to implement his football philosophy which is all about keeping possession and controlling the tempo. The former Inter Milan manager will need more time to make the Azzurri play in the way he wants, but you can be sure the team works hard in the training sessions.

Napoli’s all-time best goalscorer Dries Mertens took part in the team’s last training session, but he’s still doubtful about the next game. The Belgian striker is still expecting to record his first minutes for the new season. His absence is a problem for the head coach, but luckily Spalletti has enough options to replace him with.

Spalletti and Napoli’s fans surely expect a lot more from the club’s record signing Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian striker scored 10 goals in the Serie A last season and that’s not bad, but it’s not enough for a player Napoli paid the hefty sum of 70 million euro. Osimhen is still looking for his first goal this season and facing Juventus would be a great moment for this. This player is talented for sure and he’s still very young – just 21-years old. His best years are still about to come.

Juventus had a disappointing start of the new season after the return of the manager Massimiliano Allegri. The Bianconeri won just one point in their first two matches against Udinese and Empoli. This really surprised the fans who didn’t expect such a beginning from their favorite team. It was especially heartbreaking for them to see Juve losing against Empoli at home – a result which really shocked them in the most negative way.

Nothing really worked for Juventus in the game against Empoli at the Allianz Stadium. It was the club’s first game after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo as well, so Allegri used Federico Chiesa and Paulo Dybala in attack. Weston McKennie supported them as a second striker, but it didn’t work out, too. In the second half Allegri picked Alvaro Morata and Filippo Bernardeschi from the bench while the summer signing Manuel Locatelli entered the pitch as well. All of them didn’t show the expected levels for a player with Juventus’ shirt.

After the game Max Allegri tried to defend his players from the huge criticism from fans and journalists. One of the most criticized players was the Uruguayan midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur. He joined Juve in 2017, but he still can’t really prove he’s good enough to play for the most successful Italian club. The truth is the fans are running out of patience with Bentancur and this puts some real pressure on him. Don’t be too surprised if this is Bentancur’s last season in Turin. He could be one of the players who get kicked out to make room for someone new. This would be a logical move by the club and most fans would agree.

The French international Adrien Rabiot is another player who had to respond to the fans’ criticism after the Empoli game. Just like Bentancur, Rabiot started the match and got replaced in the second half. Juventus’ fans never really fell in love with the Frenchman since his arrival at the club from PSG. Maybe this will be his “make it or break it” season at the Allianz Stadium – his performance will be decisive about his future.

These two players’ problems mean that the Euro 2020 winner with Italy Manuel Locatelli coud turn into a really important figure for Juventus. Right now Allegri is careful with his adaptation to the team, but you can be sure Locatelli will win his place in the starting eleven. He’s a better player than Bentancur and Rabiot, so it’s a matter of time before he shows his quality. The 23-years old could become a huge figure for the Old Lady if everything goes in the right way for him.

Who will lead Juventus’ attack after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo? That’s a really good question right now. According to most pundits, Federico Chiesa must be the player who become Juve’s new leader. Chiesa made some great performances with Italy at the Euro 2020, so he’s a star now. He didn’t have the best game against Empoli and got replaced by Dejan Kulusevski, but he remains a huge prospect. Alvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala are also among the players who must do enough to compensate for Ronaldo’s departure.

That’s the soccer predictions online for the Serie A derby game between Napoli and Juventus at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. The Azzurri had the better start of the season, while Juve will try to step back on their feet and finally show something good since the return of Massimiliano Allegri. The teams’ current condition make Napoli a favorite here, but let’s see what kind of work Juve had done during the international break. Maybe Allegri’s team is going to surprise us here.