Back with a bang
Gennaro Gattuso's Napoli face off against Maurizio Sarri's Juventus in the Coppa Italia final at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Wednesday evening. Both teams have only participated in a single competitive match since the easing of Italy's Corona restrictions leaving us with little information regarding current form but if the pair of them continue like they did during pre-Covid we will definitely be in for a fun one.
Napoli
I Partenopei saw off a fierce Inter side during the semi's after a fantastic display from former Arsenal man David Ospina who faced a staggering 10 shots on goal.
Lethal on the break
Napoli were pushed far back for long periods of the game but definitely made the most of their counter-attacking ability courtesy of Insigne and Mertens which is more than likely what we will see against this steamrolling Juve side as well.
Great run of form
Gattuso's side have seen somewhat of a revival in recent times after losing only 1 of their last 10 games and managing an impressive 7 victories which includes wins against Inter (0-1), Juve (2-1) and Lazio (1-0) as well as an unfortunate draw at home to Barcelona (1-1).
The blues seem to have found their mojo again and will be desperate to save some face by adding a piece of silverware to their trophy cabinet after their extremely mediocre start to the season which has essentially slashed all hopes of even a Champions league finish.
Juventus
The winning machine that is La Vecchia Signora expectedly saw off a Zlatan-less Milan side to book their tickets to the Stadio Olimpico and bring back the coveted trophy to Turin for the 5th time in 6 years (Lazio won last years).
Top dogs
Juve are, per usual, flying high with a first place in league play as well as a home fixture against Lyon in the Champions League on the horizon and are, despite the (0-1) aggregate score heavy favourites to advance.
Out for blood
I bianconeri will be out for revenge after a psychologically heavy defeat away to Napoli in league play before the lockdown as well which further highlighted Juve's spotty form and tendency to slip up from time to time which is something Ronaldo and co. will definitely want to abolish given what is on the line in the coming months.
Head coach Sarri also has as a major point to prove after critics hit out at "Sarriball" following Juve's dip in form so expect a revved up Juve side.
Crunch time
What better way to hit their stride and gain momentum before a crunch Champions League fixture and league run-in than beating Napoli in the Coppa Italia final? Expect Juve to turn it up a notch.
Napoli vs. Juventus Betting tip
Both teams obviously have immense capabilities but the issue, for both sides this season, has been summoning those capabilities on a regular basis but given their recent performances my guess is that they will have all cylinders firing which is why i will be backing Both teams to score at the fantastic odds of 4/5 with Betway.