Socrates

Marotta Denies Juventus Negotiations Over Cavani May 23, 2015 Juventus sporting director Giuseppe Marotta denied reports of negotiations over Paris Saint-Germain’s Edinson Cavani. Cavani’s discomfort at PSG has been well documented now, deeming that the club have not made efforts to grant his wishes to play as a central striker. As such the Uruguayan has been linked with a move out of Ligue 1, with Juventus one of the destinations. Reports had suggested Juventus had met and begun negotiations with Cavani over a potential transfer, which Marotta rebutted. “Honestly there has been no progress over the transfer of Cavani… because we have not started any negotiations,” Marotta said to Sky Sport Italia. “Cavani is a great player, yes, but he is a PSG player at this moment and so we do not believe we can begin any sort of concrete negotiations.”

SIMONE PEPE 3-1

Britos infame

Non é mai rigore su Morata, arbitro livornese?

Para di nuovo Buffon

Coman Kung Fu

Quasi 2-2

STEFANO STURARO 2-1

Arbitro chiaramente in malafede.

Cross di Coman, Morata non ci arriva.

Paratona del Gigi!

Numeri molto belli di Coman ma fini a sé stessi purtroppo.

Potrebbe entrare il Mitra allora.

Ma é sicuro che Insigne sia italiano? Sembra un magrebino.

É tornato Asamoah!

1-1

Rigore per il Napoli

JUVENTUS - NAPOLI - Saturday, May 23rd, 2015 - 6:00 p.m. Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Luca Banti HT 1-0: Napoli trip up in Turin May 23, 2015 Roberto Pereyra has given Juventus the half-time lead over Napoli on a day of celebrations. The Bianconeri staged their Double Party to celebrate the last home game of the season, the Scudetto and Wednesday’s Coppa Italia triumph in extra time over Lazio. Napoli needed precious points to keep their Champions League qualification dreams alive. Stephan Lichtsteiner and Kalidou Koulibaly were suspended, but Kwadwo Asamoah made his first appearance since sustaining knee tendon damage in November. It was a bright Partenopei start, Dries Mertens stinging Gigi Buffon’s gloves, but their intensity quickly petered out. Instead, Juve went in front with a well-worked move, as Kingsley Coman chipped the pass over the defence to send Roberto Pereyra clear. Coman almost provided another assist soon after, but he over-hit the through ball for Alvaro Morata, while Mertens curled over. Paul Pogba’s free kick was just over the bar. There was a touching moment at the 39th minute when the crowd unveiled a huge banner commemorating the 39 victims of Heysel. Along with all their names held up by fans, it also read: ‘Nobody ever really dies if they live on in the hearts of others: For always.’ Juventus 1-0 Napoli (Half-Time) Scorers: Pereyra 13 (J) Juventus: Buffon; Padoin, Barzagli, Ogbonna, Asamoah; Pogba, Marchisio, Sturaro; Pereyra; Morata, Coman Napoli: Andujar; Maggio, Albiol, Britos, Ghoulam; David Lopez, Gargano; Insigne, Callejon, Mertens; Higuain Ref: Banti http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

JUVENTUS - NAPOLI - Saturday, May 23rd, 2015 - 6:00 p.m. Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Luca Banti Morata: 'It's our party' May 23, 2015 Alvaro Morata warned Juventus won’t let Napoli spoil “our party” this afternoon. “We are the champions.” It kicks off at 18.00 CET. The entire Juve squad stepped off the team bus wearing special sunglasses with black and white stripes. “It was a gift to celebrate the fact we are champions. We are home with our fans and it is a day to feel happy,” Morata told Sky Sport Italia. They will present the Coppa Italia and Scudetto trophies to the crowd today. “As long as the team wins, it’s a happy day! Now we need to celebrate in our stadium, but after that can focus entirely on Barcelona and the Champions League Final. “This day was important to thank the fans, as if we managed to do everything we’ve done so far, it is also thanks to them. “I expect a great game against a team with excellent players, but we too want to win because we are on home turf, it’s our party and we are the champions.” http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

JUVENTUS - NAPOLI - Saturday, May 23rd, 2015 - 6:00 p.m. Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Luca Banti Line-ups: Juventus-Napoli May 23, 2015 Juventus bring Kwadwo Asamoah back to celebrate the Double, but Napoli aim to spoil the party with Gonzalo Higuain. It kicks off at 18.00 CET. Juve are fresh from winning the Scudetto and Coppa Italia, beating Lazio 2-1 in extra time on Wednesday. They will be presented with the trophies today and parade them to supporters in their final home game of the season. Several top stars are rested, but Claudio Marchisio and Alvaro Morata return, as they were suspended for the Coppa Italia Final. Asamoah is in the starting XI, making his first appearance since sustaining a knee tendon problem in early November. Stephan Lichtsteiner is suspended, plus Martin Caceres and Romulo injured. Napoli drop Manolo Gabbiadini, Jorginho and Marek Hamsik, giving the reins to Lorenzo Insigne, Jose Maria Callejon and Dries Mertens. Kalidou Koulibaly sits out a ban with Michu, Jonathan de Guzman and Juan Camilo Zuniga. Duvan Zapata and Giandomenico Mesto. Juventus: Buffon; Padoin, Barzagli, Ogbonna, Asamoah; Pogba, Marchisio, Sturaro; Pereyra; Morata, Coman Napoli: Andujar; Maggio, Albiol, Britos, Ghoulam; David Lopez, Gargano; Insigne, Callejon, Mertens; Higuain http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

JUVENTUS - NAPOLI - Saturday, May 23rd, 2015 - 6:00 p.m. Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Luca Banti MATCH PREVIEW May 23, 2015 It’s all or nothing for Napoli as their pursuit of Champions League qualification comes to a head at Serie A champions Juventus. The Bianconeri have already sewn up the Scudetto and subsequently secured the second part of a potential treble with midweek Coppa Italia Final victory over Lazio in extra-time. They’re also unbeaten in four Serie A matches after Derby d’Italia spoils were claimed courtesy of a late Alvaro Morata winner at Inter last Saturday. Massimiliano Allegri – who has commendably exceeded even the loftiest of expectations as Coach during a stellar season – must continue shuffling his pack with several stars requiring rotation, as they strive for prime condition in preparation for an upcoming Champions League Final date with Barcelona. Defenders Martin Caceres and Stephan Lichtsteiner are out through injury and suspension respectively. Romulo is also expected to miss the remainder of this campaign due to a thigh problem. Visitors Napoli have tasted defeat just once throughout their seven most-recent League fixtures, while winning five of them, amid growing uncertainty surrounding the futures of several club figures and the additional fall-out from two hugely disappointing legs of Europa League football, which saw them crash out at the semi-final stage against unfancied Dnipro. The Partenopei have recovered the joint-most Serie A points – 17 – from trailing positions this term and maintained hopes of a Champions League spot by battling back from one-down to eventually triumph 3-2 at home to Cesena on Monday. A first League win in Turin over the Old Lady since October 2009 would keep them firmly in the hunt for a top-three finish, with Rafa Benitez’s men currently lying four points adrift of second-placed Roma. However, they must continue without the services of crocked trio Michu, Juan Zuniga and Jonathan De Guzman. Keep an eye on: Gonzalo Higuain (Napoli) – Argentine striker Higuain has struck 26 times in all competitions, including 16 to sit joint-fourth in this season’s Serie A goalscoring charts. The 27-year-old recently failed to notch from 10 attempts over two legs against Dnipro, which contributed heavily to Napoli’s Europa League downfall. He was denied by a mixture of solid goalkeeping and poor finishing against the Ukrainians, but will be determined to halt an overall four-game goalless streak when facing Juventus. Form Guide: Juventus (L W W D W) Napoli (W L W D W) Last season: Juventus 3-0 Napoli Stat fact: Juventus have plundered eight unanswered goals in their three previous home Serie A meetings with Napoli, all of which resulted in victories for the hosts. Juventus (probable): Storari; Padoin, Barzagli, Bonucci, De Ceglie; Sturaro, Marchisio, Vidal; Pereyra; Morata, Matri Suspended: Lichtsteiner Napoli (probable): Andujar; Maggio, Albiol, Britos, Ghoulam; David Lopez, Inler; Callejon, Hamsik, Mertens; Higuain Suspended: Koulibaly http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

JUVENTUS - NAPOLI - Saturday, May 23rd, 2015 - 6:00 p.m. Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Luca Banti Juventus V Napoli – Team News, Tactics, Lineups And Predictions May 23, 2015 Napoli travel to Turin to face double winners Juventus on Saturday evening with the knowledge that only a victory would be enough to exert pressure on their Roman rivals for the Champions League spots. The Partenopei currently sit fourth, just three points behind Lazio and four behind Roma ahead of their derby meeting on Monday. However, with this clash coming a couple of days before, Napoli would be able to climb up to third with a victory. Both sides will enter the game in impressive form having won four of their last six Serie A matches, though Rafael Benitez’s best results have generally come at the Stadio San Paolo. This will be the 138th meeting between the two and the Bianconeri hold a heavy lead in the overall victories, with 62 to Napoli’s 29; a difference that is even more pronounced in games in Turin. The Partenopei have only won seven away games against Juventus – most recently in 2009, but more than half of those victories came before 1960. Team news and tactical brief Juventus This season just keeps getting better with each passing week for Juventus and they are now on the verge of landing a historic treble for the first time in their 117-year history. Having already won the Serie A title earlier this month, they added the Coppa Italia to their growing list of honours by claiming a 2-1 victory over Lazio on Wednesday evening. They got off to the worst possible start by conceding inside of four minutes, but Giorgio Chiellini flicked in a quick equaliser and Alessandro Matri completed the comeback with an extra-time winner to seal a domestic double and their first victory in the cup for 20 years. Their next target is to win the Champions League final against Barcelona in two weeks, and if the La Liga giants manage to win the Copa del Rey final next weekend, then it will be a straight shootout to decide which club lands a treble. Massimiliano Allegri’s side still have two games left until that European clash and their first order of business will be to finish their league campaign with an unbeaten home record for the second straight season. Their last defeat in Serie A in front of their own supporters came in a 2-1 reverse against Sampdoria over two years ago and they have gone 46 games since without a loss. They actually won every single home game in the league last time around and have dropped points just three times this season. The Bianconeri will be expected to rest a number of players this weekend following their cup success, but even without some of their key squad members, they are still a formidable foe and last weekend they were victorious against Inter Milan with a second-string lineup. Juventus will have to make do without Stephan Lichtsteiner, who sits the game out with a ban. He is expected to be replaced by Simone Padoin at right-back, while there could be a number of other changes to the team that started the cup final. Carlos Tevez, Andrea Pirlo and Chiellini could all be rested, but Claudio Marchisio and Alvaro Morata are likely to start after being banned in midweek. Probable Starting Line-up (4-3-1-2):Buffon; Padoin, Bonucci, Ogbonna, Asamoah; Sturaro, Marchisio, Pogba; Pereyra; Matri, Morata Napoli While everything has been going perfectly for Juventus, the exact opposite can be said of Napoli, who have seen their season crumble around them in the past month. They seemed to have recovered from a bad run of form in March, by claiming three wins on the spin that saw them edge closer to the top three. However, a damaging 4-2 defeat against Empoli three weeks ago stopped them in their tracks. The Azzurri bounced back a few days later with a 3-0 win over AC Milan, but their inconsistency came back to haunt them in their next match, with already-relegated Parma holding them to a 2-2 draw. It seemed as if they would falter again on Monday evening after falling behind early on against Cesena, but they fought back to earn a 3-2 victory that has moved them to within three points of third-placed Lazio. That result means that they would move level with Lazio with a win against Juventus and crucially ahead of the Rome club based on their head-to-head record. Anything other than a win this weekend would seriously damage their Champions League chances and would leave them hoping for a Roma victory in the Derby della Capitale next Monday. That would ensure that they can still pip Lazio to third spot when they meet on the final day of the season. It is not just in the league where they have been poor, as they were dumped out of the Europa League by underdogs Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk last Thursday at the semi-final stage. Their cause has not been helped by the constant speculation surrounding manager Rafael Benitez and the Spaniard has recently been linked with a move to Real Madrid when his contract expires in the summer. Gonzalo Higuain has also been tipped to leave Naples, so the club could be in for a difficult time ahead trying to convince them to stay if they fail to land a Champions League spot. Kalidou Koulibaly is suspended for Napoli, so Miguel Britos should come into the defence to partner Raul Albiol. Higuain will come back into the starting lineup and Dries Mertens could keep his spot in the attack after scoring twice against Cesena, but Lorenzo Insigne may be chosen ahead of him. Probable Starting Line-up (4-2-3-1): Andujar; Maggio, Albiol, Britos, Ghoulam; Gargano, David Lopez; Callejon, Hamsik, Mertens; Higuain Key Facts This will be the 138th Serie A meeting between Juventus and Napoli: the Bianconeri have won 62 times so far, the Partenopei only 29 (46 draws). The Serie A 2014/15 champions have lost only one of their last eight league matches against Napoli (W4 D3). Napoli have won only once in their last 17 Serie A outings away to Juventus (3-2 in October 2009), losing 11 times in the process. Players to Watch Out For Alessandro Matri (Juventus) The Italian scored the crucial winner against Lazio midweek to give Juventus their 10th Coppa Italia crown. With Carlos Tevez likely to sit this game out in order to ensure he is primed and ready for the Champions League final, Allegri may well look to Alessandro Matri for goals; he has yet to net in Serie A since his return from Genoa, though his next goal will be his 80th in Serie A. Gonzalo Higuaín (Napoli) Argentine striker Higuain has struck 26 times in all competitions, including 16 to sit joint-fourth in this season’s Serie A goalscoring charts. The 27-year-old recently failed to notch from 10 attempts over two legs against Dnipro, which contributed heavily to Napoli’s Europa League downfall. He was denied by a mixture of solid goalkeeping and poor finishing against the Ukrainians, but will be determined to halt an overall four-game goalless streak when facing Juventus. Prediction Juventus 2–2 Napoli Champions of Italy, winners of the Coppa Italia and waiting for the 6th of June, Juventus will play the two remaining matches to maintain their form and recover injured players. Napoli’s season could end with a whimper as they are close to failing in all three competitions they have taken part in this term. However, they have not given up hope of qualifying for the Champions League as Roma and Lazio will take points from each other, while the Partenopei meet the Biancocelesti on the last day of the season. Juventus will be the more relaxed as they have just lifted another trophy and the Champions League final is still two weeks away. Playing at home will probably turn this match into a celebration of their most recent title, while Napoli may struggle to focus. it’s likely that Juventus will honour the match the same way they did against Inter, so Napoli will need to be at their best to keep hot on the heels of Roma and Lazio. Blast From the Past Fernando Llorente opened the scoring for the hosts before Andrea Pirlo produced a wonderful free kick to double the hosts advantage. Paul Pogba sealed the points emphatically. http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

JUVENTUS - NAPOLI - Saturday, May 23rd, 2015 - 6:00 p.m. Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Luca Banti Juventus vs. Napoli Preview: Round 37 — Curtain comes down at Juventus Stadium May 22, 2015 Welcome to another edition of "Juventus games that don't mean much anything," boys and girls. Or is it...? Juventus have already won the Scudetto weeks ago, they've recently been crowned Coppa Italia winners for the 10th time, the most of any club to ever play the sport in Italy. There are reasons why Saturday's final home game of the season actually matters. We can try and guess, or we could just sit here and remember what is to be played in exactly two weeks from tomorrow and know that Juventus is going to try and build up to their first Champions League final in 12 years. Yes, Juventus has something to play for when Napoli comes to Turin for the final game Juventus Stadium will host this season. There might not be anything related to the Serie A table or Juventus having to keep the competition from nipping at their heels with a couple games to play. But there is something, at least when it comes to a big-picture aspect of looking at things, that will benefit Juventus. So, in order, here's a few things that I am looking have happen when Juve takes the field against Napoli. Nobody gets hurt. Nobody gets hurt. Scudetto presentation. SImone Pepe doing Simone Pepe things on the sideline or on the field. Nobody gets hurt. See? All is not lost. There are things to pay attention to instead of watching just to say you watched. Sure, first place playing fourth place with two games in the season remaining might get a lot more hype compared to what is going down in the lead up to this one. That's mainly a byproduct of Juventus wrapping up the Scudetto with plenty of room to spare yet again this season. If there is any pressure on Juventus, it's for the simple fact that they want to go into the Champions League final playing well. JuventusFC ✔@juventusfcen .@OfficialAllegri: "#JuveNapoli? A night to remember. We'll be presented with the Scudetto and parade the Coppa Italia in front of our fans" I'm sure a win would be a nice little addition to that. I don't think Max would disagree with me there. GOOD NEWS Next season's Juventus jerseys is about to be damn crowded with patches and stars. It's going to be awesome. And like Max said, they get to celebrate with their Scudetto and parade around with the Coppa Italia at the same time. So if you're looking for a time to tell your friends to tune in and tell them "Kiss the trophies!" then Saturday would be a pretty good chance to do so. BAD NEWS Last home game of the season. WHAT TO WATCH FOR 1. Just how strong of a team will Max Allegri field? Juventus are coming off a game on Wednesday and will have a whole week off before their Serie A finale against Hellas Verona next weekend. That's a lot of time to take advantage of if Allegri so desires. He has already announced that the squad will have three straight days off without training following the Napoli game, so Juventus will be as fresh as they've been in weeks no matter who takes the field against Hellas next weekend. I would like to think Allegri would rest at least a few players who logged heavy minutes against Lazio midweek because of this chance to do so. He's been great at rotating the squad this season, and it's not like he's going to suddenly stop doing so just because Juve has a week in between games to close out the season. If that means the likes of Carlos Tevez and Andrea Pirlo aren't playing against Napoli, consider me not shocked at all. 2. Is this the game we finally get to see Kwadwo Asamoah? The most we have seen of Kwadwo Asamoah in 2015 has been him warming up on the sidelines during the Coppa Italia final on Wednesday or in pictures celebrating Juventus winning trophies. Other than that, it's been a lot of waiting for Juve's No. 22 to finally make his presence be known and get some game action after such a long injury layoff. So consider me one of the folks who was a little surprised when he saw the giornalaccio rosa roll out this predicted lineup on Friday afternoon: Yep, that's Kwadwo Asamoah playing left back in a 4-3-1-2, ladies and gentlemen. Am I opposed to it? Not one bit. Even if he won't be figuring into the Champions League final at all, I want Asamoah to make a comeback appearance or two before the season is over. And it's interesting that it comes as an all-out left back and not a wingback considering Asamoah has basically made two or three appearances as a full-on defender since coming to Juventus. Maybe Allegri will throw Asamoah out there at left back to see how he handles it. Either way, Asamoah may very well make his return to the lineup on Saturday — and that's good regardless of what position he is playing. 3. Which Napoli team actually shows up. There is plenty going around Napoli these days — and that's not even counting how they're on the outside looking in when it comes to a Champions League spot. Secret Agent Rafa Benitez has been rumored to be getting a four-year contract, and then a few days later he's being linked to take over for Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid. That's just how things are these days around the city of Naples. Will it affect them on the field? That's the million dollar question. They're obviously fighting for the third and final Champions League spot Serie A has to offer. And knowing that the Rome derby is being played two days later, there's the chance for Napoli to get help from one of their closest competitors for that European spot. That's just kinda stating the obvious, though, since no matter whatever happens in the Roma-Lazio game will be a moot point if Napoli don't get any points against Juventus on Saturday. 4. Alvaro Morata vs. the sometimes suspect Napoli defense. Napoli enter the 37th round of Serie A fixtures with a plus-20 goal differential, one of the best in Italy's top flight. But that's not thanks to the way their defense has played this season. Napoli has scored 67 goals this season, tied for the most along with some club called "Juventus." However, Napoli has allowed 47 goals this season, which is the same amount as Serie A's 16th-placed team (Empoli) and more than twice as many as the team they're playing on Saturday. So, with that being said, how do you feel about Morata facing a defense like that? Pretty confident, right? The young Spaniard is easily one of Juve's most in-form players right now, having scored in his last three games (Real Madrid x 2 and Inter). My starting XI (4-3-1-2): Buffon; Padoin, Barzagli, Bonucci, Evra; Sturaro, Marchisio, Pogba; Pereyra; Morata, Coman http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111