Game Time Thread: Juventus vs. Napoli

We are closing in on the final days of the gauntlet that has been the month of April for Juventus. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the schedule has gotten easier.

Nope. Not at all.

On this night, it’s the runaway league leaders, Napoli, who have made their way to Turin, and you better believe that they are a little angry on top of it. As much as it was a good midweek phase for Max Allegri and Juventus both domestically (POINTS BACK!) and in Europe (semifinals, baby!), the same can’t be said for Napoli after seeing their run in the Champions League come to a screeching halt at the hands of AC Milan.

So, yeah ... I’m guessing Napoli might be a little angry.

They’re also a little more rested up after their midweek European encounter compared to Juventus, who advanced to the Europa League semifinals with a 1-1 draw in Portugal on Thursday night.

We know that teams who have played midweek in European competitions have been stumbling a whole hell of a lot lately when they return to domestic competition that following weekend. But what about when both teams have played in Europe midweek? We’re about to see a little bit of science in action.

When it comes to Juventus, getting their 15 points back has seen them shot back into third place. They have the opportunity to leapfrog second-place Lazio with a win over Napoli tonight. But that also involves beating Napoli, who is very much on the cusp of the Scudetto and now only has Serie A fixtures to think about to close the season.

We will see what Juventus team shows up tonight. Maybe it’s a competitive one against a Napoli team that throttled them 5-1 in Naples. Maybe it’s one that looks tired after an emotional night in Portugal three days ago. Maybe it’s a little of both which has caused Allegri to do some rotating of his starting lineup ahead of Wednesday’s Coppa Italia semifinal against Inter. Who knows at this point.

All we know for sure is that the league leaders are in Turin and everybody who sees things through black and white glasses hopes that it’s not as bad as the first time these two played against one another.

MATCH INFO

When: Sunday, April 23, 2023.

Where: Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy.

Official kickoff time: 8:45 p.m. local time in Italy and around Europe, 7:45 p.m. in the United Kingdom, 2:45 p.m. Eastern time, 11:45 a.m. Pacific time.

STARTING LINEUPS

Juventus starting XI (3-5-1-1): Szczesny; Gatti, Rugani, Danilo; Cuadrado, Miretti, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Soulé; Milik.

Juventus bench: Perin, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Bremer, Alex Sandro, Bonucci, Pogba, Paredes, Fagioli, Chiesa, Vlahović, Di Maria, Iling-Junior.

Napoli starting XI (4-3-3): Meret, Di Lorenzo, Minjae, Jesus, Olivera; Anguissa, Lobotka, Ndombele; Lozano, Osimhen, Kvaratskhelia.

HOW TO WATCH

Television: TLN (Canada); BT Sport 1 (United Kingdom).

Online/Streaming: Paramount+ (United States); fuboTV Canada (Canada); BTSport.com, BT Sport App (United Kingdom); DAZN, SKY Go Italia (Italy).

Other live viewing options can be found here, and as always, you can also follow along with us live and all the stupid things we say on Twitter. If you haven’t already, join the community on Black & White & Read All Over, and join in the discussion below.