The upcoming week will be crucial for Napoli as the staff coached by Antonio Conte will face Juventus on Sunday earlier than assembly Chelsea subsequent Wednesday for one final crucial Champions League’s sport that will decide whether or not or not Napoli will be eradicated from the most necessary European match. The Azzurri are at present in twenty fifth place, the first staff eradicated, however the tie against the English staff might dramatically change their place in the standings. Before that, Juventus will host Napoli on Sunday at the Allianz Stadium for one other key match for the Scudetto and Champions League race. This is why the upcoming two matches will most likely additionally outline the future of Napoli supervisor Conte, who will face two of his former groups. Juventus, the place he was a participant, staff captain and then supervisor from 2011 to 2014 and then Chelsea, the place he gained a Premier League title and coached the Blues from 2016 to 2018. Here’s what it’s essential know forward of a key week for Napoli:
How to look at Juventus vs. Napoli, odds
- Date: Sunday, Jan. 25 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
- Location: Allianz Stadium — Turin
- Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Juventus +104; Draw +208; Napoli +291
A troublesome European marketing campaign
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Napoli’s season has been deeply affected by accidents as Conte has needed to face a lot of the season with some main absences to large stars like Romelu Lukaku and Kevin de Bruyne, whereas different key gamers like Frank Anguissa or Alessandro Buongiorno additionally had accidents that pressured them to not play usually to date. Those absences have positively been the greatest think about any Napoli struggles to date this season, as Conte’s staff come from the 2024-25 Scudetto win in his first season at the membership. We knew Napoli might have some points with extra games to play however accidents did not assist Conte to rotate his roster as a lot as he wished earlier than the begin of the new spell. While Napoli’s performances have been acceptable in the Italian Serie A, issues bought harder when Napoli needed to play in the Champions League.
With solely two wins in seven games and three defeats together with a 6-2 away loss to PSV, one in all the most worrying performances of the season, Napoli at the moment are significantly risking elimination in the league section, and even a attract the final residence match against Chelsea on January 28 will not be sufficient.
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Conte confirmed his frustration for a few of the selections made by Napoli in the summer time, together with the signings of Noa Lang from PSV and Lorenzo Lucca from Udinese. As a matter of reality each gamers at the moment are on the verge of leaving the Azzurri, with Lang to affix Galatasaray on mortgage and the Italian striker set to signal for Nottingham Forest earlier than the finish of the winter switch window. Meanwhile, the Azzurri agreed to a deal price $20 million with Hellas Verona to signal younger star Giovane from the Italian staff. Napoli’s winter strikes counsel that the supervisor wasn’t completely happy about a few of the transfers made by the membership in the summer time.
Conte against his previous
Ironically, the two key matches for the Italian supervisor will be against two groups he coached over his profession. In explicit, his comeback in Turin is at all times particular, though with various meanings. At Juventus, Conte had his greatest years as a participant from 1991 to 2004 the place he gained Serie A titles and even the Champions League remaining in 1996, regardless of struggling an harm in the remaining against Ajax that prevented him from taking part in in the UEFA 1996 Euro with the Italian nationwide staff. After he retired as a participant in 2004, Conte began his teaching profession and was appointed in 2011 by Juventus to turn out to be the new supervisor in what was additionally one in all his first experiences as a Serie A supervisor. Conte instantly made his mark, launching a successful cycle at Juventus by clinching the Serie A Scudetto in his first season, adopted by different two Serie A titles. He departed in 2014 following disagreements with the membership over switch technique.
Juventus and Conte at all times had a particular relationship and might even be reunited in the future some day, however issues bought extra tense with some components of the membership and the followers in the previous years. In June 2019, the former Juventus captain was unveiled as the new Inter head coach and the games he performed in Turin have been at all times heated and filled with feelings on either side. Despite his Inter spell, most of the Juventus fanbase remained on his facet, understanding his work ethic and perspective, even when he agreed to affix Napoli in the summer time 2024. Juventus followers know Conte and they accepted the reality he might coach any staff in the world after becoming a member of Inter, however they have been anticipating a comeback in the summer time 2025, shortly after he gained the Scudetto with Napoli.
Everything appeared set for his return to Turin. Juventus have been looking for a brand new coach, Conte had simply gained the Scudetto in his first season at Napoli beating Inter in the title race and the Italian supervisor appeared more and more sad at the membership. However, in soccer issues can change shortly. Despite feedback from Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis that originally gave the impression of a farewell, he in the end satisfied Conte to remain and flip down Juventus’ provide, one thing that the majority of the fanbase felt like a betrayal.
With how shortly issues can change, as they did in the summer time of 2025, this week might show decisive for Conte’s future. It would not essentially imply he will step down or be sacked if outcomes go against him, however Conte is a deeply emotional and passionate supervisor, and emotions usually play a key position in his profession selections. Failing to beat Juventus and Chelsea might affect his mindset in the months forward, one thing we have seen earlier than and that has beforehand led to him leaving a membership at the finish of the season. Napoli do not want such uncertainty and neither does Conte himself.
How to look at Serie A Matchday 22
All occasions U.S./Eastern.
Friday, Jan. 23
Inter 6, Pisa 2
CBS Sports
Saturday, Jan. 24
Como vs. Torino, 9 a.m. (Paramount+)
Fiorentina vs. Cagliari, 12 p.m. (Paramount+)
Lecce vs. Lazio, 2:45 p.m. (Paramount+)
Sunday, Jan. 25
Sassuolo vs. Cremonese, 6:30 a.m. (Paramount+)
Atalanta vs. Parma, 9 a.m. (Paramount+)
Genoa vs. Bologna, 9 a.m. (Paramount+)
Juventus vs. Napoli, 12 p.m. (Paramount+)
AS Roma vs. AC Milan, 2:45 p.m. (Paramount+)
Monday, Jan. 26
Hellas Verona vs. Udinese, 2:45 p.m. (Paramount+)
