The Stadio Maradona will witness one of the most-awaited fixtures of the Serie A campaign, as Luciano Spalletti returns to Napoli as the Juventus head coach. The contest kicks off on Sunday at 20:45 CET.
Even though both sides are missing key players, there should be enough quality on the pitch to produce a thrilling contest.
So how will the two sides line up this evening?
(Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)
After losing Stanislav Lobotka, Napoli find themselves with a completely ravaged midfield, as Kevin De Bruyne, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Billy Gilmour are also missing. Moreover, Romelu Lukaku has yet to make his return to action.
Rasmus Hojlund will lead the line in an expected 3-4-3 formation, flanked by the in-form David Neres and Noah Lang.
Scott McTominay and Eljif Elmas should form a makeshift double pivot, while Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Mathias Olivera operate as wingbacks. Finally, Sam Beukema, Amir Rrahmani and Alessandro Buongiorno will constitute the backline in front of Sinisa Milinkovic-Savic.
Spalletti will also adopt an almost identical 3-4-2-1 system. Jonathan David is expected to spearhead the charge in the absence of Dusan Vlahovic, even though Lois Openda could be an option. Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao will act as the supporting crew.
Juventus captain Manuel Locatelli will certainly start, but the identity of his midfield partner remains uncertain.
La Gazzetta dello Sport tips Khephren Thuram to maintain his regular place, while Sky Sport Italia believes Fabio Miretti has done enough to usurp the Frenchman in the hierarchy.
Elsewhere, Andrea Cambiaso and Weston McKennie should keep their places on the wings, even though Filip Kostic is pushing for a starting berth.
In the absence of Gleison Bremer, Federico Gatti and Daniele Rugani, the backline almost picks itself, as Pierre Kalulu, Lloyd Kelly and Teun Koopmeiners start in front of Michele Di Gregorio.
Napoli XI (3-4-3): Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Rrahmani, Buongiorno; Di Lorenzo, Elmas, McTominay, Olivera; Neres, Hojlund, Lang
Juventus XI (3-4-2-1): Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Kelly, Koopmeiners; McKennie, Locatelli, Thuram (Miretti), Cambiaso; Conceiçao, Yildiz; David.
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