The Euro Preview: Napoli and Juventus continue to battle for Serie A title
The Serie A title race is the tightest in Europe. Will Napoli win their first Scudetto since 1990, or can Juventus come through with the title once again?
Serie A
Napoli currently lead Juventus by a single point in the standings as both teams enter matchday 22. The Bianconeri wrestle with Chievo Verona on the road this Saturday, while the Partenopei will host Bologna on Sunday.
Napoli and Juventus meet on April 22 in Turin, a game that could decide the outcome of the Scudetto race should both teams continue at this pace. There’s no reason to believe either team won’t, given the dominance both have had over the rest of the field for much of this season. Between now and then, both sides have to play 12 very important league games.
After taking on Bologna, Napoli’s schedule is as follows:
Feb. 4: at Benevento
Feb. 10: vs. Lazio
Feb. 18: vs. Spal
Feb. 26: at Cagliari
March 3: vs. AS Roma
March 11: at Inter Milan
March 18: vs. Genoa
March 31: at Sassuolo
April 8: vs. Chievo Verona
April 15: at AC Milan
April 18: vs. Udinese
A quick look at the schedule between now and the Juve encounter reveals some potential stumbling blocks. Above all, the games against the two Roman sides, on Feb. 10 against Lazio and on March 3 against Roma. Napoli are at home for both those matches (a positive), but there’s no guarantee they’ll win both.
Meanwhile, Juve’s next two months look like this:
Feb. 4: vs. Sassuolo
Feb. 9: at Fiorentina
Feb. 18: at Torino
Feb. 25: vs. Atalanta
March 3: at Lazio
March 11: vs. Udinese
March 17: at Spal
March 31: AC Milan
April 8: at Benevento
April 15: Sampdoria
April 18: at Crotone
Two of the biggest landmines for Juventus are the games at home against Atalanta and Sampdoria. Both teams have played very well this season. These were also games in which Juve lost points the first time around, drawing 2-2 with Atalanta and losing 3-2 to Sampdoria.
La Liga
There’s no tight title race in Spain, where Barcelona boast an 11-point lead on Atletico Madrid. Nonetheless, there’s plenty of excitement around Ernesto Valverde’s side and the league as a whole with the possible Liga debut this weekend of Philippe Coutinho. The former Liverpool winger, who came to Barca during the January transfer window in a deal finalized earlier this month, could very well make his first league appearance, either as a sub or a starter, before the home fans at the Nou Camp on Sunday against Alaves.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, are out of the title chase and hanging on to fourth place with 35 points. The team needs more performances like last week’s 7-1 rout of Deportivo. It needs to either win the Champions League for a third straight time this spring or finish top four in order to qualify for next season’s top club competition.
Real’s Liga problems are hard to pinpoint. Coach Zinedine Zidane’s 4-3-3 formation always relied on some individual flair from Cristiano Ronaldo or Luka Modric. The team’s predictability, and that reliance on individual brilliance, hasn’t helped thus far. Add to that Ronaldo’s seeming lack of form and energy each weekend and the result has been overall mediocrity. Poor shooting and an inability to get goals has hurt this team. Players like Isco and Marcelo, big players who have also seen sagging form, have been jeered recently by the Madrid faithful.
Real Madrid travel to third-place Valencia on Saturday in another must-win match for the defending league champions.
Next: Liverpool come crashing down
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich have sucked the air out of the title race in Germany with their 16-point lead over Bayer Leverkusen. Nonetheless, the fight for second place in the Bundesliga has become a six-team battle. Four teams are knotted at 31 points (Bayer, Schalke 04, RB Leipzig and Borussia Monchengladbach) as the league enters this weekend’s matches. Borussia Dortmund and Eintracht Frankurt are tied on 30 points in sixth and seventh place, respectively.
Where has Bayern’s dominance this season come from? Some say it’s the team going back to basics, signing young German players to help bolster a roster that features players from across the globe. It’s a departure from the Pep Guardiola approach, but one that’s working for the club this season as it paves the way for future success. With the league all but wrapped up, Bayern are aiming for Champions League glory this spring.
Bayern Munich host ninth-place Hoffenheim on Saturday at the Allianz Arena in what should be a lively game, while Leverkusen are also at home the following day against 15th-place Mainz.