Juventus vs. Napoli: 5 Key Matchups to Watch for This Weekend

It seems the matches only keep getting tougher for Juventus.

Fresh off their 2-0 victory over Inter Milan in the Derby d'Italia, Juventus now face off against an in-form Napoli side battling for a place in the league's top three and next year's Champions League.

The match will serve as a warm-up for when the two sides clash on May 20th in the Coppa Italia final.

Last time Juventus faced off against Napoli, they conceded a season-worst number of goals, but managed to score just as many to earn a credible 3-3 draw away from home.

Unlike last time, neither team will be willing to settle for a draw in this match. Although Napoli will arrive in Turin as underdogs, the need to finish ahead of Udinese and Lazio in the standings will encourage the team from Naples to attack from the outset.

As for Juventus, they need to win as many of their remaining games as possible and hope that AC Milan slips up if they still harbor hopes of winning their first title since Calciopoli.

They've very impressively kept their undefeated record intact until now, but it will hardly be remembered if Juventus can't win the league title to go along with their impressive record.

Here are the five matchups we believe will decide the match.

Alessandro Matri vs. Paolo Cannavaro

Ironically, despite scoring seven goals in their last two games, one of Juventus' biggest problems continues to be the lack of an out-and-out goalscorer in the team.

Alessandro Matri has been Antonio Conte's preferred option up front, and he's had a decent return of 10 goals this season, but he's gone scoreless in his four games and scored once in his last seven.

Against Inter Milan, Juventus were only able to break the deadlock and take control of the game after Matri was substituted for Alessandro Del Piero, a move which ultimately changed the game in Juve's favor.

Matri may find himself dropped for Juventus' clash with Napoli, as Conte has shown little reluctancy to drop the Italian whenever he has shown bad form.

However, if he is able to retain his position in the team, he is likely to have a tough challenge on his hand against the likes of Cannavaro.

Cannavaro is the central defender of Napoli's three-man defense, and will not be an easy man for Matri to overcome.

Matri should find some relief though in the fact that he did manage to score against Cannavaro in the reverse fixture in Naples, and that Napoli have allowed seven goals in their last three games.

Marek Hamsik vs. Arturo Vidal

Although it will be very interesting to see which of Serie A's top-two playmakers (Andrea Pirlo and Marek Hamsik) outplays the other, the player who will actually be matched up with Hamsik is Arturo Vidal.

Traditionally, Vidal has been known as being one of the world's best defensive midfielders, and he certainly continues to statistically prove that this title is well-deserved.

However, he showed last year with Bayer Leverkusen—and this year with Juve—that there is an explosive offensive element to his game as well. It will be interesting to see how much of that element of his game he'll be able to express while trying to contain Hamsik.

As for Hamsik, this will be a game in which Napoli will need him to produce some magic to sway the game in their favor.

Juventus' central midfield pairing of Vidal and Pirlo is one of the best in the world, and Napoli's only hope of countering it is showing the quality that Hamsik and Ezequiel Lavezzi can produce on the ball.

Ezequiel Lavezzi vs. Simone Pepe

This is what I call the "X-factor matchup" of the game.

Unlike the previous two matchups, I really don't expect these two players to be guarding each other. However, their play could tip the balance in their team's favor.

Last time these two teams faced off, both of these traditional wingers were asked to play as attacking midfielders by their managers. Since then, Lavezzi has continued in this role, while Pepe has been moved by out wide by Conte.

To be completely honest, I don't see what Conte sees in Pepe, other than the fact that he's Italian. He's a hard-worker, sure, but he's been fairly useless since the end of last November.

Lavezzi, on the other hand, is a firecracker capable of winning any game on a good day. He comes into this game with four goals and three assists in his last five games, and could really turn the game in Napoli's favor if Juventus' defenders get lazy.

It's a good thing the game doesn't come down to this matchup, otherwise Juve would be in serious trouble.

Edinson Cavani vs. Andrea Barzagli

Although Gianluigi Buffon receives most of the credit for Juventus' amazing defensive record this season from the press and popular media, Andrea Barzagli has been the unsung hero of Juventus' defensive rigidity this season.

The experienced Italian has replaced the error-prone Leandro Bonucci in Juventus' defense this season, and his performances have helped shore up what was a very leaky defense just last year.

However, Barzagli has yet to come up against Edinson Cavani this season, as the Uruguayan did not play against Juventus in the two teams' earlier matchups.

After a slow start to the campaign, Cavani has refound the form that made him one of the best strikers in the world last season, and has bagged seven goals in his last seven games.

Barzagli will have to be at his very best to keep Cavani from scoring against Juve, even with the assistance of Giorgio Chiellini.

If he can though, that may be enough to win the game for Juve, provided that they can score on the opposite side of the pitch.

Gialuigi Buffon vs. Morgan De Sanctis

Although Napoli would normally have the edge in terms of wingers, I believe Christian Maggio's injury renders that advantage rather insignificant in the grand scheme of things, as neither side's winger or wing-backs are really that outstanding beyond Maggio.

In place of the battle down the flanks, I think the performance of each team's goalkeeper will factor significantly into the final result.

With Cavani, Hamsik and Lavezzi all likely to fit for Napoli, and Pirlo, Vidal and Vucunic all expected to be fit for Juventus, I can see this being an open game with many chances.

With that in mind, it may just come down to who can produce the most world-class saves and the best consistency in goal.

Many would easily hand the advantage here to Juve with Buffon, but De Sanctis is no pushover.

The Napoli keeper is an experienced veteran in the form of his life at the age of 35, and has bailed out Napoli on many occasions this season.