Napoli’s defensive lineup against Juventus remains uncertain as Alessandro Buongiorno, their key defensive enforcer, is still recovering from injury. Although he has returned to training, his availability for the upcoming match is questionable. In his absence, Juan Jesus is expected to continue in the defensive role.
The rest of Napoli’s squad appears to be in good health, suggesting they might field an unchanged lineup. New additions to the team, Philip Billing and Luis Hasa, are likely to start on the bench.
Romelu Lukaku is set to lead the attack, standing on the brink of a significant milestone. The Belgian striker needs just one more goal to reach 200 career goals in Europe’s top five leagues. However, it’s worth noting that Lukaku has historically struggled against Juventus in Serie A, suffering seven losses in 13 matches against them.
On the visitors’ side, there’s a conundrum in the attacking department. Top scorer Dusan Vlahovic has been unexpectedly dropped for “technical reasons,” while the false nine experiment with Nico Gonzalez has not yielded the desired results. The recent loan acquisition of French forward Randal Kolo Muani adds another option to the mix, though he may start on the bench.
There’s positive news for the visitors as both Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao have overcome their injuries. After making brief appearances midweek, they are now in contention for starting positions.
The injury list for the visiting team still includes long-term absentees Arkadiusz Milik, Juan Cabal, and Bremer, who remain sidelined for this fixture.
Napoli (4-3-3): Meret; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka; Politano, McTominay, Neres; Lukaku
Juventus (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; McKennie, Kalulu, Gatti, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Thuram; Yildiz, Koopmeiners, Mbangula; Kolo Muani
