25 September 2015
Trips to Naples have traditionally served up exciting and occasionally high-scoring encounters with a total of 166 goals scored in 69 Serie A matches played at the home of the Partonopei, which since 1959 has been the San Paolo.
The Bianconeri’s record in these games reads 21 victories, 26 draws and 22 reverses, so this Saturday represents an opportunity to draw level with Maurizio Sarri’s men in terms of wins. The goalscoring charts are also very even, the Old Lady having netted 81 times to Napoli’s 85 strikes.
Juventus.com takes a closer look at five of the best contests between the two sides down the years at the San Paolo.
Napoli 2-6 Juventus, 15 December 1974
“At… the tennis club of San Paolo, Juventus beat Napoli 6-2.” This the title of Hurrà Juventus’ report of an extraordinary night of football in Campania.
What made the feat all the more impressive was that the hosts were unbeaten for the first four months of the season up until this match.
Three goals in the space of 14 first-half minutes, courtesy of Jose Altafini’s brace and Oscar Damiani’s first of the evening, put the Bianconeri 3-0 up and in an extremely commanding position at the break.
And the visitors added a fourth just seven minutes after the restart when Roberto Bettega sidefooted elegantly past ex-Juve stopper Pietro Carmignani.
Sergio Clerici pulled one back for the Partenopei before Franco Causio lashed home to restore the Old Lady’s four-goal lead.
Clerici got his name on the scoresheet once more on 74 minutes before missing a golden opportunity to make it 5-3 only 60 seconds later from the penalty spot.
It was six of the best for the visitors when a clever free-kick found Fernando Viola unmarked in the area and he took one touch before shooting low under Carmignani with five minutes remaining.
Napoli 2-4 Juventus, 1 April 1989
Juventus’ 4-2 win at the San Paolo on April Fool’s Day 1989 dented their opponents’ hopes of claiming a second Scudetto in three seasons.
The home side got off to the best possible start when Fernando De Napoli put them in front with a venomous half-volley after only five minutes. Juventus, however, levelled soon after through the Partenopei’s namesake Nicolò Napoli.
And Renato Buso bundled in a second for the visitors on the half-hour mark to ensure that they took a 2-1 lead into the break.
Napoli would restore parity just four minutes after the restart with a rasping drive from Brazilian striker Careca, swinging the momentum of the match in favour of the hosts.
The Bianconeri had seemingly not read the script, however, as Buso notched his second of the contest to put Juve ahead again. Then, as the Partonopei pressed for an equaliser, Juventus exploited the gaps left behind the opposition defence to win a penalty deep into stoppage time, which Marino Magrin converted to seal a memorable triumph against the eventual Serie A runners-up.
Napoli 1-2 Juventus, 9 November 1997
Daniel Fonseca was the hero of this last-gasp victory, as the second-half substitute scored an 87th minute winner at the home of the club he had represented between 1992 and 1994.
Zinedine Zidane gave Marcello Lippi’s men the lead just seven minutes shy of the interval when he calmly sidefooted past GiuseppeTaglialatela.
Thirteen minutes after the restart Claudio Bellucci equalised for the hosts, at which point Lippi made the decision to bring on Fonseca and the move paid dividends as the Uruguayan, signed during the summer from Roma, netted his maiden goal in the black and white to secure maximum points for the reigning champions.
Speaking after the match, Lippi, who would go on to steer the Bianconeri to their 24th Scudetto that season, said: “I’m delighted with the win, but especially for Fonseca and the goal he scored. After a tricky start, Daniel is showing what an enormously talented player he is.”
Napoli 1-2 Juventus, 30 September 2000
The Bianconeri would win by the same scoreline three seasons later on the opening day of the 2000/01 campaign, which marked the hosts’ return to Serie A following a two-year absence.
Napoli went ahead when Roberto Stellone tapped in from close range before Darko Kovacevic headed home Zidane’s cross to equalise midway through the second-half.
Then with 16 minutes remaining, up stepped Alessandro Del Piero to strike home a brilliant winner from all of 25 yards, sending the away support into raptures.
The victory would be Juventus’ last at the San Paolo for nearly 15 years until the unforgettable events of Saturday 11 January 2015.
Napoli 1-3 Juventus, 11 January 2015
Last season’s win at the San Paolo, the first in eight attempts, formed a key moment of the Bianconeri’s surge towards a 33rd league title during Massimiliano Allegri’s debut season at the club.
Gonzalo Higuain spurned a gilt-edge chance to give Napoli the lead, when he hit over the bar after brilliant build-up play by Marek Hamsik.
The hosts would be made to rue the missed opportunity when, in the 29th minute, Carlos Tevez’ deflected shot spun up in the air and Paul Pogba produced a moment of magic to catch the ball perfectly on the volley, bending it around the defence and inside the far post.
Miguel Britos converted a 64th minute corner to draw his side level, but within five minutes Juve restored their lead when Martin Caceres turned in Andrea Pirlo’s free-kick.
As the hosts pushed desperately for a second equaliser of the evening, Alvaro Morata exploited the space that had opened up in front of him to speed down the left flank before crossing to Arturo Vidal, who made no mistake with a sumptuous left-footed strike from outside the box that sailed past Rafael Cabral and into the net to make the points safe for Allegri’s men.
