Restart with a bang. The championship resumes after the stop for the national teams and it does so with one of the most delicious dishes of the house, namely Napoli – Juventus. This time there is no need to talk about the Scudetto challenge: compared to a year ago, in fact, the distances between the Azzurri and the Bianconeri have definitely increased. But woe to think that the game is played only for the spirit of competition: Allegri's team can mortgage the title race but also reopen it, all the more so if Roma did their duty tonight against Empoli (20.45 pm), Sarri's instead he aims for second place but must also watch his back from those who threaten third place. In short, this Napoli – Juve counts, and how it counts, and the reasons for following it are many and fascinating. Above all, ça va sans dire, the return of Higuain to San Paolo, a moment awaited since last summer, since the most expensive and discussed transfer ever took place. Yes, because if in Turin they puffed up their chests at the arrival of the Argentine bomber, in Naples they experienced it all as a real betrayal. The desire to present the bill is great, that's why we expect a San Paolo that is as warm with its players as it is hostile with the opponents, Pipita above all. The calendar then took care of further increasing the load, which will give another Napoli - Juve next Wednesday, this time in the Italian Cup. In short, Higuain will have a really hot week and it will be interesting to understand how he will react: the champions, after all, can be seen in situations like this. It must be said that, up to now, the ex hasn't blocked, indeed the Argentine has scored in both matches played against the Azzurri.
At the San Paolo, however, it will be a completely different thing and Pipita, who is back from a lackluster moment (4 consecutive games without goals to which we must add the two in the Champions League against Porto), will find bread for his teeth. Reducing Napoli – Juve to Higuain alone would still be a mistake: there are many issues just like expectations. Sarri's 4-3-3 against Allegri's 4-2-3-1, for example, happens to be the first and second place in the ranking of the Panchina d'oro. There it was the blue coach who arrived in front with his Juventus colleague who limited himself to complimenting him, aware that what matters, in the end, will be the championship standings. Which this evening could see Roma just 5 points behind Juve, provided that the match against Empoli, which is fairly obvious on paper, does not present any surprises. “I don't owl anyone, I have to think only about our match – Spalletti thought. – It would be wrong to underestimate it and already think about the derby with Lazio, indeed the best way to prepare for it is to beat Empoli. And I confirm what I said earlier: if I don't win a title, I'll leave". The (few) chances of succeeding pass from here but the Giallorossi coach will still have to do some turnover, especially with those players squeezed by the national teams. Tonight's 3-4-2-1 will therefore see Szczesny in goal, Rudiger, Fazio and Manolas in defense, Bruno Peres, Paredes, Grenier and Mario Rui in midfield, El Shaarawy and Perotti behind Dzeko in attack. Martusciello, back from 6 consecutive defeats, will respond with a 4-3-1-2 with Skorupski in goal, Laurini, Cosic, Barba and Pasqual in the back, Krunic, Mauri and Croce in the midfield, El Kaddouri in the trocar behind the pair attack Maccarone-Thiam.
