Cristiano Ronaldo set for first big game with Juventus as Serie A champions take on Napoli

Aditya Devavrat 23:30 27/09/2018
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Cristiano Ronaldo will get his first taste of a big Serie A game on Saturday.

    Cristiano Ronaldo may have been signed with the Champions League in mind after Juventus kept falling short while dominating at home, but there’s been absolutely no sign of a change in priority.

    They may take a season where they lose their grip on the domestic crown if it brings them European glory, but for now, continuing their supremacy over the Serie A remains an equal goal. It showed in Massimiliano Allegri‘s team selection in midweek: five players who started in the weekend win over Frosinone retained their spot in the XI for Wednesday’s victory over Bologna, including Ronaldo.

    This will be the first time he’ll have played a Serie A match with a proper sense of occasion, not to mention a tenseness where the result matters just as much as his own performance. He’s made a habit of performing when it matters most during his career, but this is the first time he’ll face that test as a Juventus player.

    More than anything, however, Ronaldo’s competitiveness and sense of showmanship will be motivating him to give the fans a taste of what he can produce.

    Ominously for Napoli, there are signs that he’s hitting top form. Though he didn’t score on Wednesday, he scored three in two games before that.

    Ronaldo is playing his first big game as a Juventus player.

    Ronaldo is playing his first big game as a Juventus player.

    NAPOLI’S STATUS AS CHALLENGERS PUT TO THE TEST

    The Carlo Ancelotti hire this summer was meant to be Napoli’s big statement. That they could lure someone of such pedigree to replace Maurizio Sarri showed that they were convinced last season’s title charge, while it ended fruitless, was not a flash in the pan.

    So far, they’ve started well, though losing one game in Serie A can be a fatal blow to title hopes when chasing Juventus. That 3-0 loss to Sampdoria can be put behind them if they repeat last season’s win at the Allianz Stadium – a result which would take them to the top of the table, level on points but with the head-to-head win. More importantly, it would let the champions know that, flashy new striker or not, they’re in for a fight to win the title, just as they were last season.

    In that respect, Napoli need the win more than their rivals do. There’s already a sense that Juve are going to cruise to an eighth straight Serie A championship, a feeling which will only grow if they can open up a six-point gap this early in the season. Ronaldo may have done wonders for the profile of Italian football, but what it really needs is a true title fight. Can Napoli provide one?

    Ancelotti will be looking to guide Napoli to a statement win.

    Ancelotti will be looking to guide Napoli to a statement win.

    TIME FOR DYBALA TO MAKE HIS CASE?

    Paulo Dybala has had a middling start to the season, following on from a below-par campaign in 2017-18 after he’d set the league on fire the season before. But he started and scored on Wednesday, and there were signs that a partnership with Ronaldo is beginning to develop.

    Douglas Costa’s suspension is the perfect opportunity for Dybala to make his case to be restored to a starting berth on a more permanent basis, and it’s good fortune that a game of this significance has arrived this soon. He more or less won Juve the title last season with a dramatic late goal against Lazio on a day Napoli lost against Roma, and another telling contribution in that vein will do his case no harm.

    More importantly, however, it’s the link-up with Ronaldo that will be scrutinised closely. The Portugal star is the centre of gravity for whatever team he’s in, and how Dybala can adapt to that will determine how successful his season is – and how bright his Juventus future looks, with rumours abounding that the club are willing to part ways with him at the end of this season. Saturday is a chance to provide a pointed reminder that doing so would be a mistake.

    Juventus need to see the best of Dybala on a more consistent basis again.

    Juventus need to see the best of Dybala on a more consistent basis again.

    Recommended