The Japan Times - Napoli host arch-rivals Juventus riding wave of Scudetto enthusiasm

Conte's team lead Inter Milan, at Lecce on Sunday, by just three points heading into a huge clash at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona but last weekend's thrilling win at fellow title contenders Atalanta caught the imagination of supporters.

Around 5,000 of them massed at Naples' Capodichino airport immediately after a 3-2 win in Bergamo, waiting until the early hours of Sunday morning to loudly greet their team with chanting and flares, before surrounding the coach which was supposed to take the players back to the training ground at Castel Volturno.

It was the sort of spontaneous pilgrimage which highlighted the faith in a second Scudetto for Napoli in three seasons, and was rewarded by Conte taking a megaphone from a hardcore ultra to thank fans for their support.

Conte roared "Come on Napoli!" to the adoring Neapolitans who have taken him to their hearts despite his long association with Juventus, possibly the team fans want to beat more than any other.

The 55-year-old won a host of trophies as player and coach of Juve, where he played more than 400 times and had a key role in Champions League and UEFA Cup victories and eight Serie A titles.

Three league crowns came as coach between 2012 and 2014, consecutive triumphs which re-established Juve as the country's best team after years of stagnation and made him one of Europe's top coaches.

Now the Lecce native is gunning for more glory for the country's poorer, often maligned south, after saying in the summer that taking charge of Napoli was like "a homecoming" after spending a large chunk of his career at northern powerhouse Juve.

Thiago Motta's Juve are still unbeaten in Serie A after 21 fixtures but are almost certainly out of the Scudetto picture, 13 points behind Napoli after drawing 13 times in the league.

Juve come into Saturday's match off the back of yet another draw, this time goalless at Club Brugge in the Champions League on Tuesday, a dull performance which was a step back after excellent displays against Atalanta and AC Milan which put the Turin giants in fifth place.

Napoli by contrast are 50 points after a run of six straight wins and free from European distractions due to last season's disaster of a title defence, which allowed the club to reset and put 2023's historic league triumph behind them.

In different circumstances fans would have been outraged at Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's departure to Paris Saint-Germain, and likely used it as a stick with which to beat owner Aurelio De Laurentiis who has never been loved by fans or the city of Naples.

But the new faces brought in over in the summer have had such an impact, and got behind Conte's philosophy so enthusiastically, that the loss of the star man of Napoli's third Scudetto has had little impact on their battle to reclaim the crown.

Player to watch: Assane Diao

Teenage attacker Diao has made quite an impact in his first two weeks at Como, scoring in both his two starts for Cesc Fabregas' side since moving to the lakeside club from Real Betis.

The under-21 Spain international is expected to start in Saturday's regional derby with third-placed Atalanta, who are seven points behind Napoli and will be keen to get back on track in Serie A after shining in the Champions League on Tuesday when they routed Sturm Graz 5-0.

With attacking starlet Nico Paz making his way back from an ankle injury sustained at Lazio earlier this month, Diao will again be a key weapon as ambitious Como try to stay in the top flight.

Fixtures (times GMT)

Friday

Torino v Cagliari (1945)

Saturday

Como v Atalanta (1400), Napoli v Juventus (1700), Empoli v Bologna (1945)

Sunday

AC Milan v Parma (1130), Udinese v Roma (1400), Lecce v Inter (1700), Lazio v Fiorentina (1945)

Monday

Venezia v Verona (1730), Genoa v Monza (1945)

M.Matsumoto--JT