Conte and Spalletti face former clubs in Napoli-Juve clash

Dec 4 : Napoli can deal a blow to Juventus' hopes of rejoining the title race while bolstering their own Scudetto defence in this weekend's big Serie A clash that pits Antonio Conte against his former club and brings Luciano Spalletti back to Naples.

Conte leads Napoli against the club where he won eight Serie A titles across his playing and coaching careers. Spalletti, meanwhile, returns to Naples on Sunday for the first time as an opponent since guiding them to their 2023 Scudetto.

Spalletti's decision to join Juve drew criticism from many Napoli fans, who viewed the move as a betrayal, and the man who delivered them their first league title since the days of Diego Maradona is unsure of the welcome that awaits.

"I can already imagine the joy I will feel inside myself when I return to that stadium," Spalletti said.

"What their reaction will be, I don't know. But for me it will be easy, very easy."

Spalletti replaced the sacked Igor Tudor at the end of October, with every intention of battling for the title, but still faces an uphill battle to revive faltering Juventus.

Second-placed Napoli moved level on 28 points with leaders AC Milan thanks to a 1-0 win at AS Roma last Sunday and, while one point separates the top four in the standings, Juve find themselves five points off top spot in seventh.

Spalletti's tenure began with a win before successive draws against Torino and Fiorentina stalled momentum and although Juventus beat Cagliari last weekend, they remain in catch-up mode in their attempt to win a first Scudetto since 2020.

Juve won again on Tuesday, a 2-0 victory over Udinese in their Coppa Italia last-16 tie, but those last two victories came at a cost as Spalletti lost striker Dusan Vlahovic and defender Federico