Spalletti returns to Napoli as Juventus coach in Serie A title battle

By Canadian Press on December 4, 2025.

MILAN (AP) — Luciano Spalletti returns to Napoli on Sunday for the first time since leading the club to its first Serie A title in more than 30 years.

Spalletti says the prospect is already emotional for him. He goes there as the Juventus coach.

“There will be burning emotion for me because I have so many friends waiting for me there,” Spalletti said. “It won’t matter how I am welcomed but the feeling I have towards them is that of a person who loves them.”

Spalletti left Napoli in 2023 after steering it to its first league title in 33 years, saying at the time that he needed a year off. However, just three months later he was appointed as the new Italy coach after Roberto Mancini surprisingly resigned.

Spalletti was fired from the Italy job in June and Juventus hired him in October after the Bianconeri fired Igor Tudor for a poor start to the season.

Juventus is seventh in Serie A but only five points below joint leaders Napoli and AC Milan.

Juventus hasn’t won Serie A since 2020 when it ended a run of nine straight titles. That domination was started by Antonio Conte, the current Napoli coach.

Conte also ended the Juventus streak by leading Inter Milan to the title in 2021. He coached Napoli to the crown last season.

The 56-year-old Conte, who also played for Juventus for 13 years, acknowledged the emotional matchup this weekend and tried to downplay it.

“At the end of the day it’s a match and there’s three points at stake,” Conte said. “I have great respect for them but on the field everyone will try to take the three points home.”

Key matchups

The top four in Serie A are separated by just one point in an exciting title race.

Co-leader Milan visits Torino on Monday with the host on a five-match winless run.

However, Torino has proved tricky for the top sides. It has managed draws against Bologna and Juventus and beat Napoli and Roma.

Inter and Roma are a point behind the top two. Inter hosts Como in a regional derby on Saturday with the visitor just three points below the Nerazzurri. Roma visits relegation-threatened Cagliari on Sunday.

Sixth-placed Bologna is also just three points below the top four and travels to Lazio.

Players to watch

Pio Esposito has come from Serie B to scoring in every competition for Inter this season, as well as netting three for Italy. The 20-year-old scored in the Italian Cup on Wednesday and is already being touted as Italy’s next great center forward.

Juventus is lamenting a serious injury to Dusan Vlahovic but hoping that can give an opportunity to Canada forward Jonathan David. David joined Juve in the offseason and has mainly been used as a substitute. He has scored in the Champions League and Serie A, but that was back in his debut in August.

Out of action

Juventus’ Federico Gatti and Vlahovic were set to undergo surgery on Thursday, the defender in Lyon and the forward in London. Gatti is expected to be back in around a month but Vlahovic will unlikely return before March.

Napoli’s injury list keeps growing with Stanislav Lobotka out again. The midfielder missed most of October with an adductor injury and had a new muscle injury before Wednesday’s Italian Cup match.

Off the field

Italy will play its crucial World Cup qualifying playoff in Bergamo, Atalanta’s home stadium.

Four-time World Cup winner Italy will host Northern Ireland on March 26 with the winner having to travel to face Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Italy is trying to end a remarkable 12-year wait to play on soccer’s biggest stage. The Azzurri are unbeaten in Bergamo with two draws and two 5-0 victories, including on coach Gennaro Gattuso’s debut in September.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Daniella Matar, The Associated Press