Napoli vs Juventus Odds & Prediction – Serie A Matchday 3

• Napoli hosts Juventus in the third matchday of Serie A on Saturday, September 11th at 12:00 pm ET
• The hosts currently sit on six points after winning their first two Serie A games, while Juventus have only won a single point so far, from a draw against Udinese
• Get the odds, our analysis and betting prediction below

This weekend, Serie A fans are in store for one of the best, and most historic Italian football rivalries, as Napoli takes on Juventus. The match will be played in Naples at the daunting Stadio San Paolo, or as it is now referred to, the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

This historic rivalry between Napoli and Juventus goes far beyond the football pitch. It represents the thick socioeconomic divide between southern and northern Italy. Over time, both clubs have seen major success, but the fiery rivalry has only grown stronger.

Players have swapped sides, away fans have been barred from stadiums and dozens of fines have been handed out. These matches between Napoli and Juventus always seem to live up to the hype both on the pitch and in the stands.

Napoli vs Juventus Odds

Odds as of Sep 9th at DraftKings

Nonetheless, over the past decade or so, Juventus has won all of the plaudits and awards. In fact, last year was the first season Juventus have not lifted the Coppa Campioni d’Italia since 2010-11, as they lost their reign over Italy to Inter Milan. It was an extremely disappointing year under former Juventus legend, Andrea Pirlo and one that many fans of the Old Lady, will not soon forget.

Still, with the failures of last year in the back of everyone’s mind, Juventus is a mess once again. They have only gathered one point from two games against Udinese and Empoli and currently sit in twelfth place. But, more importantly, they lost their main man, Cristiano Ronaldo as he returned to Manchester United.

The Impact of Playing Without Ronaldo

Now, Ronaldo’s years at Juventus were not the best in terms of success at the club. However, the 36-year-old continued to do one thing, and that was score goals. In fact, the Portuguese forward poured in 98 goals in just over three years of play in Italy. That is an insurmountable number of goals to replace essentially for any team in the world.

Furthermore, Juventus have already started to witness the negative effects of playing without Ronaldo. Federico Chiesa and Paulo Dybala are the obvious names to step and score goals. However, they might both miss out this weekend against Napoli, meaning Alvaro Morata and Moise Kean are favored to start.

Napoli vs Juventus Serie A Statistics

Both of these players improved last season, however, it is hard to see them being productive against Kalidou Koulibaly and Kostas Manolas in the middle. Those are two large and physical defenders that will not play around in the back.

Despite not showing a serious injury, Chiesa will not be called up for the match against Napoli as a precaution.

Kean-Morata are expected to start in a 4-4-2 with Kulusevski on right side ⚪️⚫️

📰 via Sky Italia pic.twitter.com/eVIH9hNFUK

— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) September 9, 2021

Finally, Manuel Locatelli, a new addition from Sassuolo would also be a bright change in the midfield for Massimiliano Allegri’s side. Nobody should be worried about the Juventus defense with Matthijs de Ligt and Leonardo Bonucci in the center, it really all comes down to their goal scoring.

Victor Osimhen Returns for Napoli

After getting a red card in his first game for Napoli, Osimhen missed their last game against Genoa. However, it has since been reduced to a one-game suspension, meaning he is available for the Juventus match. Osimhen will be a massive addition to the forward line of Napoli and could put pressure on the Juventus backline.

Victor Osimhen all-time stats for Nigeria National Team:

✅13 games
⚽️7 goals
🅰️6 assists
📊directly involved in a goal every 69 minutes

22 years of age. Future Legend. 🇳🇬 pic.twitter.com/UMi2UmWzzs

— Football Talent Scout – Jacek Kulig (@FTalentScout) September 7, 2021

Osimhen will most likely be in the middle of Lorenzo Insigne and either Matteo Politano or Hirving Lozano. Fabian Ruiz is another player on the right side of the Napoli midfield to watch out for, as he often likes to get involved in the attack. Napoli is not a team to take lightly and their results in the first two games back that statement up. Additionality, Napoli has won three out of their last five matches against Juventus since the start of 2020.

Napoli vs Juventus Best Bet

Overall, the best bet for this match is the Napoli moneyline at +150. The bet has great value for a moneyline pick and is the most favorable given their recent head-to-head history. Juventus have a long way to go in terms of figuring out how to play without Ronaldo, which is why I find it hard to see them even scoring against Napoli on Saturday.

Pick: Napoli moneyline (+150)