Napoli have shown a tendency to struggle against Italy's bigger clubs as was exhibited by their comprehensive 3-1 defeat to Italian and European champions Inter on Thursday night. The Partenopei have also suffered defeats to Milan and Lazio in the league and Liverpool in the Europa League and things need to be reshaped.
On Sunday night Walter Mazzarri's side entertain yet another big gun of Italian football as Juventus come to Naples. Napoli are very strong at the Stadio San Paolo as they have collected five wins out of a possible eight in the league and have emerged victorious in their last five competitive games in front of their own supporters.
With 33 points from 18 matches, Napoli are stationed third in the league standings, six points behind leaders Milan. A Scudetto triumph has never really been the Azzurri's main objective of the season but with Roma, Palermo and Inter all winning their respective opening matches of the new year, the Naples-based club will have to resume their winning run or their place in the top four would come under threat.
Recovering From Humiliation
A season-ending injury, a red card and four goals - Juventus' boastful record of 18 competitive games unbeaten and 13 league matches without a defeat since September were shattered into a million shards on Thursday as Parma destroyed them 4-1 in Turin. It was a defeat marred by a long-term knee injury to striker Fabio Quagliarella and the dismissal of Felipe Melo, who has since been suspended for three matches.
Because of the disastrous result in their opening league fixture of the new year, Luigi Del Neri's side ceded the fourth spot in Serie A to Roma and slipped to fifth with 31 points from 18 matches. With the gap between themselves and Milan increasing to eight points, the Scudetto dreams seem to be the on verge of evaporating into thin air.
A victory in Naples on Sunday night, though, could alter that. Juve's away form is encouraging as the Bianconeri have won four and drawn four of their nine league encounters away from Turin and are defensively the best away team in the division, having conceded just five goals.
TEAM NEWS
Napoli
There are no injury or suspension worries for the home side. Mazzarri will once again deploy a 3-4-2-1 formation that will have Cavani as the lone striker upfront with Hamsik and Lavezzi as the two creative minds behind him.
Juventus
Rinaudo, Martinez, De Ceglie, Iaquinta and Quagliarella are out injured for the Bianconeri. Felipe Melo is suspended.
Prediction
This will be a very competitive and entertaining game of football as both sides need a victory. It is a difficult call to make but the match should eventually end in a draw.
Napoli 2-2 Juventus 
