It's the biggest game in Italy this weekend. Juventus, who sit second in Serie A, face Napoli who are two points ahead in first place.
The country’s most anticipated game of the season tends to change from year-to-year — and it’s the first time Napoli and Juve have gone head-to-head for the Scudetto in 29 years.
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However, Italy’s standing has fallen somewhat in recent times, as they cannot compete financially with the Premier League as well as heavyweights from Spain, Germany or even France. Domestically, the 31-times Scudetto winners still remain the team to beat — and the team to hate.
Juventus v Inter is nicknamed ‘The Derby of Italy’, while Roma have historically been the Old Lady’s fiercest rivals. Fiorentina have never forgiven the Bianconeri for luring the great Roberto Baggio to Turin in 1990. While, when AC Milan come to town it’s always pretty tasty.
However, Napoli have been slowly rediscovering their brief glory days of the Maradona era in recent times — and it’s getting bitter. They are now the only team realistically standing the way of Juve and an unprecedented five consecutive league titles. With the legendary Argentinian, the Neapolitans won their only ever league titles and even brought home the Uefa Cup. Unmanageable debts saw the club relegated all the way to Serie C1 in 2004 — and they even missed out on promotion the following season.
Yet, despite being in Italy’s third tier, Napoli still attracted crowds of over 50,000 at their San Paolo stadium — and had the third highest attendance in the entire country 2005-06. Italian cup successes in 2012 and 2014 have led many to believe that this could be the season they finally end their Scudetto hoodoo.
Instead of Maradona against Platini, this team we have the heavyweight clash between Europe’s top goal scorer Gonzalo Higuain against legendary Italian goalkeepr, Gianluigi Buffon.
While Marek Hamsik’s skill against Paul Pogba’s power will be another intriguing battle. Boyhood Napoli fan and two-time Serie A winner with Juventus, Fabio Cannavaro, expressed the quandary of many in Italy, saying: “My heart says Napoli, but my head points to Juventus. The clash at the Juventus Stadium is one not to miss.
Source : http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/6925002/Michel-Platini-against-Diego-Maradona-to-Gonzalo-Higuain-against-Giuanluigi-Buffon-its-Juventus-v-Napoli.html
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