Serie A Betting – Napoli Host Juve for Top of Table

Napoli (+118) at Juventus (+300), Draw (+240)

Juventus have proven to be unstoppable over the past two months, and now they have a chance to move into top spot in Serie A with a win over the league leaders Napoli this Saturday when they clash at Juventus Stadium (2:45 PM Eastern).

After a tough start to the season, thanks in part to large roster turnover, Juve are now on an unbelieveable 14-game win streak in Serie A that’s put them just two back of Napoli.

“This Juve is more aggressive, as you can see from the matches we’ve played so far,” said midfielder Roberto Pereyra to JTV. “We take games head-on, and always look to win.”

The last time Juventus lost a game was back on October 10 against Sassuolo. Their most recent home defeat is even harder to find; it came in the first fixture of the tournament against Udinese (0-1). They ended up drawing the next two at home, but have now won eight in a row at Juventus Stadium.

For Napoli, tomorrow’s game will be a good litmus test. A strong showing would establish the squad as legitmate title contenders; a poor outing will undoubtedly rattle their confidence going forward.

In recent years, Napoli have been good enough to challenge for Serie A’s Champions League spots, but haven’t been in first place so late in the season. The squad is doing its best to stay focused but relaxed heading into the pivotal match.

“I’ve been playing football for many years, and I’m used to the pressure. … We know it’s down to us, we have to remain calm and not get carried away with the euphoria, because it could hurt us. It’s better to keep our feet on the ground,” said Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain to Italian TV Rai.

Napoli have been strong on the road of late, winning four straight away from home over Lazio (0-2), Sampdoria (2-4), Frosinone (1-5), and Atalanta (1-3).  Their last setback on the road came against Bologna (3-2) back on December 6th.

Tomorrow’s game will be the second meeting of the season between the sides. Napoli won 2-1 at home, but that was early in the season when Juve was at their worst. The Bianconeri are stronger than ever now and ready to take their rightful place at the top of the table, a spot they’ve occupied at the end of the past four seasons.

Pick: Juventus (+300).

(Photo credit: Football.ua [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo has been cropped.)