by waft the Sat Nov 04, 2006 11:07 am
It’s a mouth-watering weekend of action in Serie B as two of Italian football’s giants square off in a League match for the first time in five years.
Napoli face Juventus at the Stadio San Paolo on Monday in the most eagerly anticipated game of the season. The Bianconeri saw their Calciopoli handicap reduced to just nine points last week and are now just one win behind leaders Genoa after a 2-0 victory over Brescia.
Edy Reja’s Vesuviani face a daunting task as they prepare to face a side they haven’t beaten in the League since the Azzurri’s Scudetto winning campaign of 1989-90 – Diego Maradona scored twice in a 3-1 win – and may be low on confidence after last weekend’s shock humbling at the hands of Albinoleffe.
However, they may draw hope from their Coppa Italia victory over Juve earlier this term in a clash that went to penalties. Although his side have won eight in a row, Didier Deschamps maintains a draw would be a good result to take back to Turin. “With our points penalty reduced the matches with Napoli have lost some importance, but it’s vital that we don’t lose,” the French tactician stated.