Juventus projected lineup for clash with Napoli for 1st place
By John Vaccaro
LB: Alex Sandro
Alex Sandro’s arrival at Juventus in 2015 took Juve to a new level. Before he arrived the closest Juve got an elite left back was an old Patrice Evra. Sandro suddenly gave Juve a left back with the pace to keep up the fastest wingers, the discipline to avoid major mistakes on the left, and the attacking ability to give the attack a boost on the outside. Sandro will always be given the start in matches like these and he is a big reason why Juve can win these matches. He will be trusted to slow down Jose Callejon and pin Elseid Hysaj in his own half in this match. It will be a tough battle for Sandro, but he is up for the task.
RB: Joao Cancelo
Right back was arguably Juve’s weakest position last season with an aging Stephan Lichsteiner, an older Andrea Barzagli, and a rarely healthy Mattia De Sciglio rotating at the position. That’s not the case this year. Juve added Cancelo over the summer to make get to playing the way they did when Dani Alves occupied the position. Cancelo hasn’t disappointed one bit in that role. Since his disappointing debut he has exhibited every bit of skill Juve needed on that right flank. He has been dangerous in attack and unbelievably difficult to beat on defense. He has been increasingly impressive with every match he has played and Juve fans wouldn’t be the least bit disappointed if he continued that trend to help the team beat their toughest competition for the league title.