Serie A Odds: Napoli Face A Triumphant Juve
Napoli (+160) vs Juventus (+200), Draw (+240)
Juventus (24-1-4, 73 points) and Napoli (19-6-4, 63 points) will face each other twice in the span of four days, first in Serie A and then in the Coppa Italia semifinal. We’ll preview the Coppa Italia game soon enough, but for now, let’s focus on the upcoming league game (Sunday, April 2, at Stadio San Paolo).
Napoli have had a decent season so far. They’re currently third in Serie A, just two points below second-place Roma. However, Juventus have once again left the Italian league in their dust and will almost certainly claim their sixth consecutive Serie A title.
Napoli have performed well against the other top Serie A teams this season but have yet to beat Juventus. The two teams have already met twice this season and Juventus won both times.
Most recently, the teams met in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinals. Napoli opened the scoring with a goal by Jose Callejon, and they ended the first half with a 1-0 lead. But Juventus came back in the second half with three goals of their own, ending the game 3-1.
Losing to Juventus must be especially bitter this season after the Italian giants poached Napoli’s star striker, Gonzalo Higuaín, at the end of last season. Like many teams in Europe’s second rung, Napoli are constantly losing their stars to richer clubs.
Currently, their most notable players are Belgian forward Dries Mertens and Italian midfielder Lorenzo Insigne. Don’t get me wrong, they’re great players. But they’re not exactly on the same level as Higuain and Paulo Dybala. No matter how well Napoli build their squad, they will always be at a disadvantage against a club like Juventus.
When you compare the rosters and the checkbooks of the two clubs, I don’t see Napoli coming out on top, either over the long haul in the Serie A race or in this match. Napoli have beaten Juventus in the past, but the last time that happened was back in 2015. Juve is the safer pick, and you’re getting decent value with them away from home.
Pick: Juventus (+200)
Don Aguero is a man of many talents, writing about nearly anything you can put odds to. Don has been writing for SportsBettingDime since 2015, covering sports, entertainment and politics. You name it, he's covered it! He is also a steadfast West Ham fan, and has learned to embrace that suffering.
