Preview: Juventus Women vs Napoli

Juventus Women are in home action again on Serie A Matchday 17, with bottom-placed Napoli paying a visit to take on the league leaders in Biella.

The previous meeting between the two sides saw Juventus win 3-0 in Campania back in November.

Get up to speed ahead of Friday’s big game with our preview!

Head-to-head

• Juventus have won each of the seven Serie A matches they’ve played against Napoli, with an aggregate score of 18-3. Of the sides that Napoli have met more than three times in Serie A, Juventus are the only side against whom they’ve never avoided defeat.
• Juventus have won each of the three home Serie A matches played against Napoli.
• Napoli have never scored more than one goal in any game against Juventus, while the Bianconere have always scored at least two goals against the Partenopee.

Interesting Facts

• Juventus are one of two sides in Europe’s top-five leagues to have surpassed 40 points (41), and second only to Barcelona (48).
• The Bianconere haven’t conceded at home in back-to-back matches (vs Inter and Sampdoria), not managing three straight home clean sheets since September-October 2022 (against Roma, Pomigliano, and Fiorentina then).
• Juventus have scored at least two goals in each of their last nine home league games, totalling 26 (an average of 2.9 goals per game).
• No Serie A side has more clean sheets than Juventus’ eight (along with Inter).
• This game sees the league’s best attack (Juventus, 44 goals) take on the least-potent frontline (Napoli, five goals).
• Only Roma (14) have more goalscorers than Juventus’ 12 in Serie A this season. Napoli have just five, the lowest in the league.
• Juventus have scored more headers (eight) than any Serie A side this season. Napoli are one of three teams (along with Lazio and Samp) to have conceded the most headed goals with five.

Player Numbers

• In just 14 appearances this season, Cristiana Girelli is one goal off her tally of goals from lat season (11 goals in 22 games).
• Girelli has scored in five consecutive home Serie A matches.
• Sofia Cantore has eight goals in 15 league games this season, and only managed more in a single season in 2020/21 (nine than with Florentia in 22 matches).
• Lindsey Thomas has five Serie A goals against Napoli, including each of her last two goals in the league, making them her favourite opponent (alongside Empoli and Inter).
• Barbara Bonansea has four goals against Napoli, but hasn’t netted against them since May 2021.

Opposition Focus

• Now on loan from Juventus at Napoli, the first of Manuela Sciabica’s three Serie A goals came against the Bianconere on 15 January 2023 with Sassuolo.
• Tecla Pettenuzzo (1,365 minutes) is the Napoli player with the most minutes in the league this season.
• Natalie Muth (15) has had a hand in more shots than anybody for Napoli this season, with 11 of her own and four created for her teammates.