Juventus have been the most successful team in the Coppa Italia, winning the title 11 times including the last two. Hence, Juventus knows what it takes to win the Coppa Italia, but Napoli stand on their way as the two heavyweights of Italian football are set to fight it out in the first leg of the semifinals at Juventus stadium on Tuesday.
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Juventus have been prolific in all competitions this season, as they top the table in the Serie A, and are still alive in the Champions League. This means that Juventus are still in contention for the treble, but Napoli could bring an end to their dream, defeating them in the Coppa Italia across two legs.
The first leg of the Coppa Italia is always going to be of utmost importance as Juventus will hope to not concede, while Napoli will have their eyes on the precious away goal, which could play an important role in the second leg.
However, as of now, both teams will not think about the second leg and just concentrate on playing some good football in the Coppa Italia semifinal first leg. Juventus, who will be well supported by the home supporters, have some amazing stars, who can win games on their own, and they will need players like Gonzalo Higuain, Paulo Dybala to come all guns blazing.
This game is going to be huge for Higuain as he will face his former club, Napoli. Juventus will miss Claudio Marchisio, Stefano Sturaro and Medhi Benatia, as the trio has been ruled out due to injuries. Manager Massimiliano Allegri has asked his players to be patient against Napoli as scoring goals against Napoli will not be easy.
"We're aware of our strengths, whilst not over thinking things on the pitch and that's crucial. It's important to keep the right balance. Over the course of a season, it's impossible to always score against your opponents at the start of matches. Sometimes you need to stay patient in order to break them down later on, as we did against Crotone and Empoli at the weekend," Juventus official website quoted Allegri as saying.
Napoli are also still in the treble hunt, but it looks less likely after their first leg loss to Real Madrid and they also trail by 12 points in the Serie A. In all probability, this Coppa Italia looks to be their realistic chance of winning the title, so, one can expect a brilliant performance from Napoli in the Coppa Italia semifinals.
Napoli are an attacking side, who love to play quality football, scoring goals for fun. But Napoli will be disappointed with their recent result against Atlanta in Serie A, which must have made them even hungry for success in the Coppa Italia.
If we compare the two teams, Juventus may have better individual players, but one cannot ignore players like Jose Callejon, Marek Hamsik and Lorenzo Insigne, who can trouble the Juve defenders. With both teams possessing wonderful players, the first leg promises to be entertaining.
Where to watch live
Juventus vs Napoli Coppa Italia semifinals is set for 7:45pm GMT, 2:45pm EST, 1:15am IST start. Here are live streaming and TV options.
India: TV - Neo Prime, Neo Sports.
UK: TV - Sky Sports 4/HD, Now TV. Live streaming: Sky Go.
USA: TV - Gol TV, fubo TV.
Italy: TV - RAI Uno.
Live score: Twitter
