Former Torino head coach Gian Piero Ventura feels that the nine-day period that sees Napoli face Inter, Sampdoria, and Juventus in Serie A will be a pivotal time in the title race.
Speaking to Italian broadcaster 1 Station Radio, via FCInter1908, Ventura predicted that if the Partenopei can take maximum points off of the Nerazzurri, the Blucerchiati, and the Bianconeri, then they should certainly win the Scudetto.
Napoli have an enormous amount of momentum based on the first part of the season.
Luciano Spalletti’s team are the one side in Serie A who have not really had any major slip-ups or bad periods in form.
However, there is still more than half of the season left to play, and plenty of opportunities for the teams behind the Partenopei to catch up.
Napoli face two of their direct rivals in the title race early on in January in the form of Inter and Juventus, whilst they will also have to think about Sampdoria in the middle of a packed week for them.
“When Serie A resumes, Napoli have to face Inter, Sampdoria, and Juve,” Ventura noted, “in those nine days, they’ll play to try and kill off the title race.”
“If they don’t get positive results, they’ll still have the advantage they’ve built over their rivals though,” he continued.
“A gigantic step forward has been made in terms of maturity and awareness, a fundamental aspect for winning in the long run.”