Luciano Spalletti said the Juventus shirt was "made for winning matches" ahead of Sunday's Serie A clash with Scudetto holders Napoli.

Juve travel to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to face the Partenopei, who can go top with a victory.

Meanwhile, the Bianconeri are looking to close the gap on current Serie A leaders Inter to four points, should they make it back-to-back league wins.

And former Napoli boss Spalletti believes the result could already prove to be a significant one in the title race.

"The Juventus shirt is made for this. For winning matches," he said, as quoted by Football Italia. "We're not living a great moment, but that has to be our status.

"It's important because it gives you confidence, but we need to be strong and free spirits. It's important to see that in training, we're going out and grabbing new things.

"This is a match that can say a lot about the future of our league, and we'll dedicate everything we have to it.

"It's an exam where we have to be ready. We know it's a difficult match, we're going to play against the champions of Italy."

Although this is set to be his first competitive meeting with Napoli coach Antonio Conte, Spalletti is well aware of what to expect from the ex-Juve boss.

"We've met many times around, once we even played a friendly against each other, and we met at Coverciano," he recalled.

"He's a good coach; he has shown that. As a person, I can't say much because I don't see him every day. For the rest, I go by what I see on the pitch, and he's a top coach."

This will also be Spalletti's first match against Napoli since departing in June 2023, and becoming Italy's head coach two months later.

The 66-year-old is returning to the scene of many happy memories, having led Napoli to the Serie A title in his final season in charge.

"We made each other happy for two years," he smiled. "Incredible emotions, especially in the Scudetto season.

"Beautiful stories have the power of immortality, and this one will always be like that. Today, I'm an opponent, and I don't know what will happen tomorrow.

"I know they're missing something in midfield, we're missing something in defence for a while now, and so we still have to try and win. They have a past that gives them certainties, and we are searching for certainties."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Napoli – David Neres

Neres has been involved in five goals in his last six Serie A appearances for Napoli (three goals, two assists), after failing to register a single goal involvement in his previous 16.

After netting against Atalanta and Roma, he could score in three consecutive top-flight appearances for the first time across the big 10 European leagues.

Juventus – Kenan Yildiz

All seven of Yildiz’s direct goal involvements in Serie A this season have come at the Allianz Stadium (four goals, three assists).

The Turkish international could also become only the second Juventus player in the last 50 years to score at least five goals in his first 15 Serie A games in a season before turning 21, after Alessandro Del Piero (five in 1994-95).

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

Juventus have won just one of their last eight Serie A matches against Napoli (D2 L5), after winning four of the previous six (L2).

The Bianconeri have also only tasted success once in their last eight games against sides starting the day in the top two of the Italian top flight (D5 L2), though they have kept clean sheets in four of their last six such matches.

Spalletti has won eight of his last 10 top-flight matches against his former sides (D1 L1) but has lost three of the last five such occasions when facing a former team for the first time (W2).

If Napoli avoid defeat, they would remain unbeaten in a calendar year in Serie A home matches for the first time since 1987 (W12 D4).

The reigning Serie A champions are the only side to not lose a home game in the five big European leagues in 2025.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Napoli – 39.3%

Draw – 29.9%

Juventus – 30.8%