Juventus vs Napoli: Serie A Round 20 Betting Picks
Juventus is set to play host to Napoli on Thursday when the Serie A returns from its winter break. You can live-bet on Serie A using our sportsbook.
Juventus: Improved
Serie A has adopted a new Covid-19 vaccination stance after rules were passed by the Italian government. All players must get vaccinated, not only to play but also to enter the stadiums. The Old Lady have failed to recover after a poor 2020/21 season, sitting fifth in the standings with just 34 points earned in 19 games.
Juventus already dropped points in almost half of its fixtures, losing five and being kept to four draws this term.
They enter this game as favorites at -110 on the three-way moneyline with the latest soccer odds. With Inter Milan cruising at the top of the table, Juve’s only realistic target is a spot in the top four, which will offer them a Champions League position.
Juventus has had the better of Napoli in Serie A in recent years, but their previous meeting went against the grain as Napoli won 2-1. Thursday’s game could prove massive in the Champions League challenge.
Juventus is unbeaten in its previous five domestic fixtures, winning four games and keeping four clean sheets. They suffered a blow after captain Giorgio Chiellini, Arthur, Kaio Jorge and Luca Pellegrini tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday. On top of that, Aaron Ramsey and Danilo will also be unavailable against Napoli.
When it comes to playing against top opponents, the hosts are unrivaled, but not so much when the pressure is on them. Given the current situation, this is a must win for Juventus. The team received a boost with star striker Paulo Dybala resuming the full training session on Sunday and being available for this clash.
Juventus is not the team we want to include in our soccer picks and parlays because it is very unpredictable this season.
There are also other issues inside the squad with Alvaro Morata being only a step away from joining Barcelona, but Juventus still needs to find a replacement before they give the green light to the deal.
Napoli: Depleted Squad
The visitors are one of the most entertaining teams in Europe. Unfortunately, they dropped too many points lately, losing the leading Serie A spot. They won just two of their previous eight domestic league games, losing four, and they are now trailing leaders Inter by seven points. Napoli can hurt any team it faces whether it is home or away.
Despite the latest run of form, Napoli has been better than Juventus, sitting third in the standings, but they were shocked by Spezia last gameday, which might affect their motivation and morale.
They also have a huge injury crisis with eight of their most important players missing this match due to Covid, injuries or players who left to represent their countries for the Africa Cup of Nations (Victor Osimhen, Kalidou Koulibaly, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Adam Ounas, Elif Elmas, Hirving Lozano, Andrea Petagna, Kevin Malcuit). If you’re betting online, you should always check the latest results but also the situation inside the team.
Why? Because without their best defender, best striker and two of their best midfielders, Napoli not only lost three of their last four matches, but they also failed to score in two of them. There’s a reason why Juventus is the favorite to win this clash.
Juventus is back to its top level and on top of that it is defending very well lately. Napoli might find the back of the net, but we don’t expect them to return to winning ways on Thursday given the current issues they are facing.
