Not too many people would have bet on Napoli staying close to mighty Juventus before the season started, but the reality is fans at Juventus Arena will see a clash between the sides that are currently tied on points at the Serie A summit.

With both teams in excellent form at the moment, there is every chance we will see a fiery encounter in Turin.

Rather than resting on the laurels after winning the Scudetto last season, the Bianconeri opted to further reinforce the squad and ensure they remain a force to be reckoned with in both Italy and Europe.

And while Antonio Conte’s side have yet to record a victory in the Champions League group stages, their league campaign is progressing quite nicely.

The 6-1-0 record would probably be enough to create a couple of points advantage over the title rivals in most other European leagues, but apparently not in Italy.

Juventus, nonetheless, have a great chance to create a three-point cushion at the top, with home win paying 1.80 (4/5) at Ladbrokes.

Leonardo Bonucci returns to the side from suspension, while Gianluigi Buffon should start despite missing Italy’s game against Denmark through injury.

Stephan Lichtsteiner looks set to be preferred to Mauricio Isla on the right flank, while Fabio Quagliarella wins the race to partner Mirko Vucinic in attack.

Probable starting line-up (3-5-2): Buffon – Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini – Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, Asamoah – Vucinic, Quagliarella.

Napoli have become genuine title contenders over the years and following the downfall of Inter and Milan, they appear to be the only serious title rivals to mighty Juventus.

Following the unlucky defeat to the Serie A champions in Italian Super Cup, the Azzurri recorded four straight victories in all competitions before sharing spoils with Catania at Massimino.

While the second string line-up did lose the Europa League clash to PSV Eindhoven, Walter Mazzarri’s side went on to record three more victories in Serie A, proving they mean business this season.

The Azzurri may be in for a difficult task in Turin, but backing them to score at odds of 1.53 (8/15) offered at Stan James looks the right thing to do.

With Miguel Britos recovering from injury, Walter Mazzarri will have fully fit squad to choose from, although the Uruguayan is unlikely to start such an important match given he is not at 100%.

Probable starting line-up (3-4-1-2): De Sanctis – Campagnaro, Cannavaro, Gamberini – Maggio, Inler, Behrami, Zuniga – Hamsik – Cavani, Pandev.