Four storylines to watch out for Napoli vs Juventus

The Old Lady just keeps chugging along, make it eight wins in a row, including league and Cup matches. With a 0-0 draw vs Inter on Tuesday evening, with Juventus advancing on a 2-1 aggregate to advance to the Coppa Italia final vs Atalanta, Juventus will look to continue their winning ways, as they visit Napoli.

Napoli is a team in disarray, with many calling for the firing of head coach Gennaro Gattuso. As this game unfolds here are four storylines to watch out for, as to how this game might unfold.

1.) Absorbing the pressure early. Napoli likes to play uptempo, so Juve has to be on their toes to withhold the pressure in the first ten to fifteen minutes. They will have to defend and tighten the backline, which they have in this win streak, and score and score and shut the door and frustrate Napoli.

2.) How deep is this bench? In this win streak, that has reduced the season the bench has been gold. With the likes of Chiesa, and Kulusevski, and Morata when he doesn't start, they are not relying on Ronaldo to save the day, and are getting contributions from that trio to have balance and depth. Ronaldo's minutes must be handled so he doesn't get burnt out, with the Champions League match vs Porto coming up, as well as fixtures vs Inter and Milan in the coming months.

3.) Shades of Allegri's defense. Okay Okay, it's not Allegri's team, but the way the backline is playing reminds us of those Allegri days when we were rock solid, in the back. With Chiellini healthy, and the likes of De Ligt, who is a stalwart, as well as Bonucci, Danilo as well as Admiral when healthy, this team is solid. Never seen Captain Chiellini get so excited about defense. When Juve scores, the lead is safe as wasn't the case earlier in the season.

4.) Pirlo is making the league notice. Earlier in the season, it seemed the Pirlo project wasn't working. After toying with various lineups, that had fans and media alike scratching their heads. the Maestro has put his mark on this team, and they are playing his system with style and flair. Sometimes Juventus don't look flashy but is getting the job done. This team just needs to keep winning and a 10th straight Scudetto is on the horizon. Champions League will be the key as to how Pirlo, manages his lineup, something Juve needs to get over the hump to make them Champions of Europe. A trophy that has eluded them in the past few years.