Juventus vs. Napoli match preview: Time, TV schedule, and how to watch the Serie A

One of many bizarre quirks on this insanely busy begin to the 2021 calendar 12 months is that Juventus can have confronted a number of golf equipment greater than as soon as over the span of simply six or seven weeks. Due to the Coppa Italia, Juve confronted the bird-flippin’ Antonio Conte and Inter Milan thrice throughout the span of about 3 ¹⁄₂ weeks. That’s fairly wild when you concentrate on the easy proven fact that Juve are occurring their second month of taking part in a sport each three or 4 days.

And now, all of 24 days after beating Napoli within the Supercoppa, right here we go once more.

(Though, it’s not as loopy because the Juventus ladies have it contemplating that they may play Empoli for a 3rd time within the span of TWO WEEKS this weekend once they play the second leg of the Coppa Italia quarterfinals in Turin.)

We lastly get the “first” Serie A gathering between Juventus and Napoli out of the best way Saturday night time, with one other prime 6 matchup on the playing cards for the reigning Italian champions. The factor is, although, they could be 5 factors other than each other within the standings, however Juventus and Napoli come into this sport with two very totally different vibes surrounding the 2 golf equipment. As Napoli take care of drama galore between their supervisor and their hard-headed proprietor, the sensation round Juventus is one with way more optimism and general happiness as in comparison with their opposition this weekend. (Critically, you don’t hear anyone at Juventus saying anything about the manager’s fish or something near it.)

They might be shut within the standings, however these two rivals are in several sorts of conditions.

Juventus’ goal is evident: preserve the great instances rolling. We’re at present within the midst of Juve’s finest run of type of the quick Andrea Pirlo period, one that’s clearly beginning to regular itself after a rocky couple of opening months. We’ve seen Pirlo flex his tactical acumen over the course of those previous few weeks as Juve have bounced again from the butt-kicking they received by the hands of Inter — who, to steal a line from my friend Sergio, are frauds — rather less than a month in the past. Juventus is on higher footing now than they had been a month in the past, and it has come throughout a time within the schedule the place they’ve wanted outcomes throughout a number of competitions to get again on monitor.

And it simply so occurs that the Supercoppa in opposition to Napoli, performed all of 23 days in the past, was the beginning of that flip for the higher following that dangerous loss on the San Siro.

Napoli enter Saturday night time’s sport removed from full power, which was on full show the final time they took the sphere a number of days in the past of their Coppa Italia semifinal loss to Atalanta, one the place the boys from Bergamo took full benefit of their opposition’s shortfalls in protection. And with the form that Napoli are at present in, they’re going to need to attempt to have their very own reversal after all be in opposition to Juventus identical to what Pirlo’s squad has proven to do beginning with the Supercoppa.

We don’t know if that is the ultimate sport for Rino Gattuso at Napoli, though the indicators from very distant aren’t excellent in any respect. (And, sidenote: Rafa Benitez … actually?) However we do know what a win in opposition to Napoli would imply for Juventus and the way it will add one other step in the appropriate path for a membership that has performed loads of good over the previous few weeks.

And understanding that a little bit little bit of an opportunity to breathe is arriving on the finish of the month, there’s no motive to decelerate this black and white practice that’s gaining some critical momentum.

TEAM NEWS

• Paulo Dybala is out as soon as once more this weekend as a consequence of his knee damage.
• Arthur is out as a consequence of a leg damage revealed earlier within the week. He’s now a serious doubt for subsequent week’s Champions League Spherical of 16 tie in opposition to Porto. Good instances. Pirlo described Arthur’s analysis course of as “daily.”
• Aaron Ramsey can be out as a consequence of damage. (This isn’t a scheduled tweet.)
• Over the course of the previous few days, Leonardo Bonucci was anticipated to be out of the journey to Naples this weekend. However he was included within the squad listing that Pirlo launched Friday. The Italian press nonetheless expects Matthijs de Ligt to get the beginning over Bonucci.
• Right here is the whole listing of gamers referred to as up for the journey to Naples:

JUVENTUS PLAYER TO WATCH

As a result of Juve’s principally had its foot on the fuel with out a lot of a break whereas making an attempt to proper the ship because the finish of November, getting relaxation for a number of the squad’s most vital gamers has been fairly a troublesome job for Andrea Pirlo’s squad.

The man under might need been probably the most in want of a little bit little bit of a breather as we hit the second weekend of February.

Photograph by Nicolò Campo/LightRocket by way of Getty Pictures

Weston McKennie is human. He’s human and meaning he will get drained every now and then. And his play, earlier than getting a break midweek and solely showing in a substitute function in opposition to Inter, was resembling that of a dude who was drained after taking part in a bunch of minutes within the weeks (and months) prior.

With Arthur being out for, at the very least proper now, an unknown time period, there are clearly vital points occurring with Juve’s midfield in the meanwhile. However, on the very least, seeing McKennie being the McKennie we’re used to seeing for a lot of this season will ease a number of the uncertainty that comes with Arthur’s damage absence. We’ve got seen what an in-form McKennie can do for the midfield and what his presence permits the others to do.

However, as most of us can attest, if you’re operating on empty, that potential to do the same old issues isn’t at all times attainable.

Whereas Andrea Pirlo has dialed down a number of the excessive press that Juventus used so typically within the first few months of the season, McKennie getting proper once more after this little bit of relaxation goes to be essential over as the large video games proceed to roll up proper and left on the schedule.

How Pirlo approaches this sport in opposition to a Napoli facet that’s identified to hit groups on the counterattack — simply ask Maurizio Sarri’s Juventus if you’d like a dim and miserable reminder of all that — goes to be one of many extra fascinating points of Saturday night time’s sport. Will he proceed to be extra on the defensive facet? Or will at the very least a number of the excessive press make a comeback in opposition to an opponent that’s going to be removed from full power?

Both means, we all know one factor: McKennie is rested, and that would imply a little bit one thing like this:

That’s loads of floor lined within the span of … 15 seconds. That’s the McKennie we’ve come to know this season, and one that can proceed to point out up so long as he’s not canine drained. Managing minutes of each common starter goes to be vital for Pirlo going ahead these subsequent couple weeks (and months), however you gotta assume that with the best way McKennie performs that he’s going to be on the prime of the listing of ones to observe.

MATCH INFO

When: Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021

The place: Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, Naples, Italy

Official kickoff time: 6 p.m. native time in Italy and throughout Europe; 5 p.m. in the UK;12 p.m. Japanese Time; 9 a.m. Pacific Time

HOW TO WATCH

Tv: RAI Italia North America (United States); RAI Italia North America, TLN (Canada); Premier Sports activities 1 (United Kingdom); Sky Sport Serie A (Italy)

On-line/cellular: ESPN+ (United States); DAZN (Canada); Premier Participant HD (United Kingdom); Sky Go Italia (Italy)

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