Struggling Italian giant Juventus will begin a month that can make-or-break its season with a visit from Napoli as the Serie A returns from the winter break Thursday.
However, a COVID-19 resurgence looms large over the fixtures. Dozens of players among the top division's 20 clubs are out of action with the virus, with Juve captain Giorgio Chiellini one of those sidelined after testing positive and 15 new cases among Verona and Udinese's squads announced Tuesday.
And the rapid spread of the virus has led to stadium capacities being cut back to 50% as the Italian government tries to keep the lid on another wave of the pandemic.
Napoli coming to town marks the start of a run of tricky fixtures for Massimiliano Allegri's side, who is fifth, a full 12 points behind league leader and reigning champion Inter Milan.
It also has to take on Roma, AC Milan and Atalanta – which is four points ahead of Juve in the final Champions League spot – all before mid-February.
Chiellini's absence and injury to his club and Italy defensive partner Leonardo Bonucci leave Juve shorn of two of its most influential players, while in attack Paulo Dybala and Federico Chiesa will be on the bench after recovering from injury.
Napoli will arrive in Turin with a long absentee list, largely thanks to players at the Africa Cup of Nations and COVID-19 cases, with coach Luciano Spalletti set to stay at home with COVID-19 after testing positive Tuesday.
Star striker Victor Osimhen, who has already missed a chunk of fixtures with facial fractures, is also positive alongside Hirving Lozano, Eljif Elmas, Kevin Malcuit and Mario Rui, who is however suspended for Thursday's match.
Spalletti's side has a seven-point gap to make up on Inter after a disastrous December in which it ceded top spot and dropped down to third following three straight home defeats, and is also without defensive lynchpin Kalidou Koulibaly and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, both at the African Cup of Nations.
Ready to pounce are AC Milan and Roma, who face off at the San Siro hoping to gain ground in their respective title and Champions League races.
Second-placed Milan can extend the three-point gap between it and Napoli while Jose Mourinho's Roma is two behind Juve in sixth.
Worst hit by the virus is Salernitana, who with nine players positive has asked for the match with Venezia – its first since its place in Serie A was saved – to be postponed after health authorities again blocked its players from playing.
Businessman Danilo Iervolino stepped in at the last minute to make sure that Salernitana, bottom of Serie A, was not booted from Italy's top-flight over the New Year by buying the club and ending Lazio President Claudio Lotito's reign as owner.
The club had been in limbo after the Italian Football Federation refused to extend until the end of the season the Dec. 31 deadline for appointed independent directors to sell the club and end double ownership banned by federation rules.
Salernitana has not played a match since being hammered 5-0 by Inter on Dec. 17, its last match of 2021 abandoned after local health authorities banned it from traveling to Udinese four days later and the rash of virus cases at the southern club means Thursday's match is likely to suffer the same fate.