Juventus vs Napoli preview: Spalletti under pressure, Allegri banned in Turin

Two clubs level on 14 points, two coaches facing their old employers and one evening that could reshape the race for Europe. Juventus host Napoli at the Allianz Stadium in Turin on Sunday, 1 November, at 20:45 CET in round 10 of Serie A. Luciano Spalletti, who won the 2023 title in Naples, is under growing pressure on the Juventus bench. Massimiliano Allegri, who won five league titles across two spells in Turin, will not be on the Napoli touchline at all: he serves the second game of a two-match ban.

Where both teams stand

Neither side has a place in the top five. Lazio and Inter lead on 25 points, 11 clear of tonight's pair, and the gap to fourth-placed Milan is already seven (full Serie A table).

Pos	Team	Played	Points	GD
1	Lazio	9	25	+15
2	Inter	10	25	+13
3	Roma	10	24	+18
4	AC Milan	10	21	+9
5	Como	9	20	+9
–	Juventus	9	14	–
–	Napoli	9	14	–

EZCO match data before Sunday's games; Lazio play Cagliari on Sunday afternoon.

The moods could hardly be more different. Juventus lost 2-0 at Genoa in midweek, their third league defeat in six games after a 3-2 loss at Sassuolo and a 3-0 home defeat to Lazio. The squad has spent the days since on retreat at the club's J Hotel. According to Tuttosport, the club's chief executive met the players and demanded an immediate change in mentality, while owner John Elkann still backs Spalletti. Napoli, by contrast, arrive after a 4-1 win at Monza, with Rasmus Højlund among the scorers, following a wild 3-3 draw with Roma.

Team news: long injury lists on both sides

Juventus are missing a large part of their spine. Captain Manuel Locatelli (meniscus surgery) and Khéphren Thuram (knee surgery) are out until 2027, Kenan Yıldız is recovering from a foot operation and is expected back in early December, and goalkeeper Kamil Grabara has a cruciate ligament injury. Nico González, Zeki Çelik and Francisco Conceição should return after the international break. The only good news is that forward Jeff Ekhator is back in the squad.

Napoli lost Stanislav Lobotka at Monza: the playmaker was carried off with an ankle ligament injury and is out for around six weeks. Allegri said Kevin De Bruyne could move into Lobotka's role, with Billy Gilmour the natural replacement. Alessandro Buongiorno, David Neres, Leonardo Spinazzola, Costantino Favasuli and Benoît Badiashile are unavailable, while Amir Rrahmani and André-Frank Zambo Anguissa have been fighting the flu and are late decisions. If Rrahmani cannot start, Luca Marianucci or Sam Beukema would come in. Assistant Marco Landucci leads the team from the bench.

Probable line-ups

Predicted XIs according to Sports Mole and the latest squad lists:

• Juventus (3-5-2): Vicario; Gatti, Bremer, Lucumí; Kalulu, McKennie, Douglas Luiz, Sarr, Cambiaso; Kolo Muani, Woltemade.
• Napoli (4-3-3): Meret in goal; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani (or Marianucci/Beukema) and Olivera in the back four; Anguissa, De Bruyne, McTominay; Politano, Højlund, Lang.

The last meeting in Turin, in January 2026, ended 3-0 to Juventus, with Jonathan David, Yıldız and Filip Kostić on the scoresheet. According to Sports Mole, Juventus have won 11 of the last 15 home league games against Napoli, while Napoli have won five of the last eight Serie A meetings overall.

Our take

On paper Napoli have the momentum, but Lobotka's absence matters more than one name suggests: he sets the tempo, and moving De Bruyne deeper takes creativity away from the final third. Juventus, meanwhile, can barely pick a midfield, and a two-striker system with Kolo Muani and Woltemade may be Spalletti's best way to make up for the missing quality between the lines. Allegri summed up the danger himself: "Juventus rarely die." A home defeat, however, would leave Juventus seven points or more off the top four and turn the debate about Spalletti's future into a real crisis. The winner moves three points clear of the other and back into the chase for the European places. Our view: a tight game in which the side with the fitter midfield, probably Napoli, has a slight edge, but Juventus' home record in this fixture is too strong to dismiss.

Follow Juventus vs Napoli live on EZCO with goals, line-ups and the live Serie A table.