Preview: Partenopei look to close gap on second-placed Roma against the runaway Serie A leaders
On Wednesday, a double from Carlos Tevez was enough to give the Bianconeri yet another three points and set a new Serie A record of 15 straight home wins in one season. The victory also ended Parma's 17-match unbeaten run and moved the Bianconeri to a comfortable14-point lead with eight matches remaining.
With Antonio Conte's men comfortably cruising towards a third successive Scudetto, the focus for the other teams is to secure second place and automatic Champions League football next season. Whilst Roma presently occupies that spot, with 67 points and a game in hand, Napoli will be keen on closing that six point difference.
Indeed, attacker Jose Callejon admitted that the race was a done deal, stating, "Juventus are [a very] strong [side] so we'll have to try next season for the Scudetto. But we believe we can get into second place...we will definitely try because the Champions League is very important for us and we will work to secure [qualification]."
However, that is much easier said than done. Napoli's opponent has lost just one fixture in Serie A and the last time the two sides met, easily brushed them aside, with goals from Fernando Llorente, Paul Pogba, and Andrea Pirlo. And with 81 points already, they will definitely surpass their total haul of 87 last season and could possibly beat Inter's record of 97 set in the 2006-2007 season.
Conte will unfortunately be without the services of current capocannoniere Carlos Tevez due to suspension. However, other from that, the former Juventus midfielder will have a full-strength lineup, in particular his main three defenders of Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini, and Leonardo Bonucci. The Azzurri trio, combined with iconic leader Gianluigi Buffon have been the main reason why the team has the second-best defensive record in the league.
Nonetheless, they will have to be on their toes against their opponents, whose 57 goals scored are only second to the Bianconeri's 67.
Rafa Benitez will be calling on Gonzalo Higuain to lead the line, with the former Real Madrid man likely to supported by Callejon, Lorenzo Insigne, and captain Marek Hamsik. Knocked out of the Europa League by Porto last week, the hosts will be hoping that perhaps La Vecchia Signoria will be more focused on their upcoming meeting with Lyon next week as they look to earn maximum points and catch up to Roma.
It will be a tough task, as the only time Juventus tasted defeat was back on 20 October against Fiorentina, but if Napoli really want that runners-up spot, they will have to try.
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
Watch Napoli vs Juventus live on Sunday, March 30, 2014:
In Canada at 14.45 ET on: RAI International, beIN Sports Play Canada
In the US at 14.45 EST on: beIN Sports en Español, beIN Sports Play, RAI International, beIN Sports USA, SiriusXM FC
In the UK at 19.45 BST on: BT Sport 1
In Italy at 20.45 CET on: Sky 3D Italia, Sky Sport 1 HD Italia, Sky Supercalcio HD, Sky Calcio 1, Premium Calcio
For live score updates and more live listings of the game, visit the Napoli vs. Juventus match page.
