04 April 2017
Coppa Italia clashes
Juventus edge Napoli in their past Coppa Italia meetings, by five wins to three (two draws), although the Partenopei do enjoy the slight upper hand on home turf, winning twice and losing once in the four domestic cup fixtures to have been played at the San Paolo.
The Bianconeri’s solitary Coppa Italia triumph in Naples came in the most recent of those four trips south, in December 1999 when Filippo Inzaghi and a Darko Kovacevic brace saw them turn out 3-1 victors on the night and 4-1 on aggregate.
You have to wind the clock back to May 1978 for the latest Napoli home win over Juventus in the cup – a resounding 5-0 scoreline.
This time around, Massimiliano Allegri’s men take a 3-1 advantage with them to Naples after staging a dramatic comeback from behind on 28 February. Goals by Paulo Dybala (x2) and Gonzalo Higuain put the Bianconeri in the driving seat after José Callejon had struck the opener for the visitors.
Stuff of the cup
Make no doubt about it, the Bianconeri will need to be on their toes this Wednesday given Napoli’s habit of overturning first-leg deficits in recent semi-finals: in 2012 and 2014 they knocked out Siena and Roma respectively having trailed at the halfway point in the ties.
Furthermore, the Partenopei have won four of their last six home fixtures in this competition, including the last two.
Napoli will know, however, that Juventus are not ones to often surrender their lead. Despite threatening to do so last season against Inter (ultimately won on penalties after a 3-3 aggregate scoreline), the last time they suffered elimination having led after the first leg came all the way back in 2002 against Parma.
Main men
Paulo Dybala returned to action for the end of Sunday’s Serie A match at the San Paolo and La Joya will be keen to continue his fearsome form in the Coppa Italia: four goals in three games so far.
Dybala it was who triggered that comeback win in the first leg against the Partenopei at Juventus Stadium, his second-half brace turning the game on its head before former Higuain added a third to leave his former employers with an uphill battle to reach June’s final in Rome.
Meanwhile, José Callejon is Napoli’s key performer in this season’s Coppa Italia: the Spaniard’s strike in the semi-final first leg was his second in as many matches in the competition.
Callejon is even more prolific at the San Paolo, where he has notched five goals in 10 cup outings.
