Napoli's Conte out to end Juve's unbeaten run and preserve his own
Leaders Napoli continue their title bid when they host Juventus this weekend, with manager Antonio Conte looking to end his former club's unbeaten league run and protect his own record as the last coach to avoid defeat in an entire Serie A season.
Juve will arrive in Naples on Saturday pitting Conte against the Turin club where he spent most of his career and had the majority of his success, both as player and coach.
As a tenacious midfielder, Conte won Serie A five times with Juventus, along with the Champions League, while as manager he won the league in his three seasons in charge at the club.
In his debut campaign on the Juve bench in 2011-12 Conte's side were undefeated in the league, a feat which has not been achieved since, and after also winning league titles with Inter Milan and Chelsea, he is now targeting success in Naples.
After seeing off third-placed Atalanta last weekend, Napoli may have turned the Scudetto battle into a two-horse race, with champions Inter three points behind albeit with a game in hand.
That 3-2 loss has left Atalanta seven points off top spot and proved Napoli have got what it takes to succeed this season, especially with a manager of Conte's calibre at the helm.
WINNING RUN
Initially Conte spoke of a rebuilding phase at Napoli and they were thumped 3-0 by Hellas Verona on the opening day. However, his side then went on a run of eight wins in nine, only dropping points in a draw at Juventus.
Napoli lost Victor Osimhen, their top scorer for the past three seasons, when the striker joined Galatasaray on loan early in the campaign but Conte just carried on regardless.
He will undoubtedly do the same after the club sold Georgia winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, one of the key players in the Scudetto