Face to face for the Scudetto. For scheduling reasons Napoli-Juventus it won't be decisive, but certainly indicative yes: a victory for the Azzurri would bring Spalletti back to +10 on his pursuers, while a X2 would put everything back into the game, for the Bianconeri (a fortiori should they conquer Maradona) and for the Milanese. In short, the stakes are high and nobody wants to lose it, both on and off the pitch. The coaches' pre-match conferences, in fact, were marked by barbs and repartee, testifying to how hot the climate is already before taking the field.
Naples-Juventus (20.45 pm, Dazn)
What is certain is that Napoli-Juventus will pit the absolute best performance against that of the last period, as well as two completely different ways of interpreting football. For a Naples capable of scoring 44 points in 17 days, children of fourteen victories, two draws and only one defeat, there is a Juventus who started very badly, but which over time has been able to change gears, winning their last eight games in a row, moreover without conceding a single goal. Effective results with opposing game models: on the one hand the "player" Spalletti, pilot of a war machine capable of producing 39 goals (best attack), on the other the "resultist" Allegri, so concrete as to have collected only 7 throughout the tournament. In the middle is Maradona, determined to make a difference as usual, even if the previous 76 in Fuorigrotta live in the sign of balance, with 26 victories for Napoli, 23 for Juve and 27 draws.
Here Napoli, Spalletti: "Allegri is hiding, but Juve must necessarily win the Scudetto"
Here begins the question and answer between the two coaches, even if Spalletti, to tell the truth, spoke second. “I understand that for Allegri it is convenient to speak as a supporting actor, but for a Juve always stuffed with champions it is impossible to hide from the role of favorite – thought the blue coach -. Certain investments pay off only by playing for the Scudetto and the Champions League, it's useless to put on a hat or a fake beard: there's no fourth place that satisfies Juventus”. Open arrows also on the theme of the game, another decidedly divisive element between the two. “Allegri marries the Juventus motto that winning is the only thing that matters, here instead everything is more heart and soul, after all Maradona has shown how much beauty there can be in football. Then there's the type of football you want to play to consider, if you like it as a show beyond victories: we'll do what our fans like, after all, there was a coach here who didn't win anything like Sarri , yet we only talk about his game and this has a value for me ”.
Here Juve, Allegri: "It's not decisive, but it's very important for them"
“I have great respect for Spalletti, he's so funny and amusing that we fight every now and then, like last year – said Allegri -. I'm not a coach, I do this job by mistake, I had to do something else... We face a well-organized and well-trained team, the games never end in Naples, we'll have to be concentrated throughout the 90 minutes and play a great match technique and intensity, after all we're going to the home of the best team in the league. To date we have had good results, but we must continue to think about working, progressing along the path of growth and therefore reaching the final goal enter the top four. This is a championship match, it's not decisive, but it's very important for them...".
Napoli-Juventus, the formations: typical team for Spalletti, Allegri chooses Di Maria and Milik
If the match mirrors the press conferences it will be really fun, there's no doubt about that. Now all that remains is to wait for the verdict of the field, which will see a Naples in formation-type, against a Juve instead forced to deal with several absences. Spalletti will have everyone available, so he will be able to opt for the best possible 4-3-3 with Meret in goal, Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Kim and Mario Rui in defense, Anguissa, Lobotka and Zielinski in midfield, Politano, Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia in attack . A few more dilemmas for Allegri and not only for the now metabolized absences of Vlahovic, Pogba, Cuadrado and Bonucci. The Juventus coach is teased by Chiesa's ever-improving form, even if the entries in the running with Cremonese and Udinese should lead him to start from the bench, to then unleash him in the second half. His 3-5-1-1 will thus see Szczesny between the posts, Danilo, Bremer and Alex Sandro in the back, McKennie, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot and Kostic in the midfield, Di Maria behind the lone striker Milik, even if the Paredes hypothesis in the control room with Fagioli on the bench also resists. The referee of the challenge will be Doveri, in the hope that the protagonists, in the "good" sense of the term, will be others.
