Will the Valentine's Day match-up between Juventus and Napoli go down as the most influential game of the 2015/16 Serie A season? That possibility certainly seems like a strong one following Juve's down-to-the-wire 1-0 victory. The victory puts the Zebras back at the top of the 2015/16 Serie A, and could prove to be the game that ultimately wins the football club a fifth straight title in the Italian top-flight. Or, it could just be the beginning of a highly competitive and ultra-exciting battle between two teams that are currently at the top of their game. Only time will tell.

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Juve's Remarkable Comeback


Even if Juventus haven't clinched the Serie A title just yet-and they haven't, as they are still only one point ahead of Napoli in the league standings-you have to marvel at how the soccer team has surged to make a comeback this season.

After a splendid 2014/15 season, the Zebras lost some key players over the summer, including stars like Carlos Tevez, Arturo Vidal, and three-time Serie A Player of the Year winner Andrea Pirlo. Unsurprisingly, those losses left Juventus in a struggle to build up some good momentum at the start of the 2015/16 campaign. The football club lost their first two games, and six matches into the season, they had won just one Serie A match.

Fast-forward to mid-February and Juventus are enjoying one of the all-time great winning streaks in Italian soccer. With their win against Napoli last weekend, the Zebras have won their last 15 Serie A games. Their last domestic league loss came on October 28th, against Sassuolo.

A Win Streak Record?


In fact, if Juve can win their next two league soccer matches they will have tied the all-time record for consecutive wins in the Serie A. Inter Milan, interestingly, are the current record holders, having won 17 straight matches during the 2006/07 season. The Black and Blues went on to win the title that season by a 22-point margin of victory, but they definitely benefitted from the fact that Juventus had been relegated to the Serie B due to the 2006 Italian football scandal.

If Inter Milan can't put a stop to Juve's winning streak, then the Zebras will go for the all-time Serie A winning streak record on March 6th, with a game against Atalanta. Even if that doesn't happen, though, Juventus have already broken club records this season. The team's previous Serie A winning streak was 13 matches and took place between the 2013/14 and 2014/15 seasons. In other words, 15 straight wins are not too shabby for a squad that many had written off last fall.

A Defensive Game


Still, even with 14 straight wins under the belt, and even with the knowledge that they would have the home field advantage against Napoli, Juventus came into the Valentine's Day match against the Blues as arguable underdogs. Napoli remained two points ahead in the Serie A and had a winning streak of their own going: eight league victories in a row. Thanks to the 24-goal performance of Gonzalo Higuain, the Blues have also outpaced Juventus offensively this season. Juve's top offensive player (and the second most prolific scorer in the league) is Paulo Dybala, who has only tallied 13 goals so far. Regardless of how the rest of the season plays out, it's tough to see a scenario where Higuain won't win the Serie A Player of the Year award for the 2015/16 campaign.

Still, even the on-fire Gonzalo Higuain couldn't break past a Juventus defense that has only allowed 15 goals all season. Sure, two of those goals came in Juve's September contest against Napoli, and Higuain was the man responsible for one of them. However, the Zebras are absolutely a different soccer squad right now than they were back in late September. They've settled into a groove and learned how to win without their biggest stars from past seasons, and their growth was clearly evident in the Valentine's match.

As the visiting side, Napoli did just fine in what proved to be a great, highly competitive match. They kept pace with Juve in terms of dangerous attacks and even edged out the hosts in possession time. But the Blues couldn't break past an in-form Juve defense or the perpetual brick wall that is goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, and that inability to finish ultimately cost the Blues three points.

Simeone's Game-Saving Goal


Not that anything was made easy for Juventus here. The hosts played strong football throughout, but like Napoli were unable to put the ball in the net for the vast majority of play. As the clock ticked down to the end of the match, with the score still stuck at 0-0, the Zebras found themselves in a do-or-die situation. Simply avoiding a loss would keep them in the race for the 2015/16 Serie A title, but a draw would also hurt them more than it would hurt Napoli.

In the end, the reigning Serie A champs capitalized on the opportunity to take the lead in the league. At the 88-minute mark, striker Simeone Zaza delivered a game-saver by scoring the first and only goal of the match. Zaza, who received a red card a week and a half ago in a game against Genoa, had been a second-half substitute for Alvaro Morata. His late arrival into the game proved to be the deciding factor, though, as his last-minute goal left the Blues with little time to mount a retaliatory drive.

With this win, Juventus are sitting first in the Italian Serie A for the first time all season. The 2015/16 campaign is far from over, though. Juve are at 57 points, and Napoli are at 56, which means the Blues will be there to capitalize if the Zebras dip in form again. Fiorentina, meanwhile, are in third place and are sitting seven points behind Napoli. In other words, this season is probably a two-horse race at this point, but either horse is a completely viable contender for the title.

Upcoming Fixtures


Even if Juventus and Napoli are probably the only realistic contenders at the moment, though, that doesn't mean that other football clubs in the Serie A can't play a role in determining what happens from here.

Inter Milan, for instance, probably have a better chance than any other team in the league to put a stop to Juve's seemingly unstoppable winning streak. Back around New Year's, Inter were sitting pretty at the top of the league standings table. They've dipped in form since, settling for a number of disappointing draws and losing a major late-January match to their crosstown rivals, AC Milan.

Still, the Black and Blues have the asset of Samir Handanovic, who has-until recently-been the league's best goalkeeper for the 2015/16 season. Handanovic notched his 13th clean sheet of the season in a February 3rd win against Chievo. Juve's Gianluigi Buffon, meanwhile, grabbed his 13th clean sheet on in the Valentine's Day game against Napoli. The battle between these two great goalkeepers keepers will make the February 28th Juventus/Internazionale fixture another highlight of the season-particularly since Juve will likely be gunning to tie the winning streak record in that game.

Napoli, meanwhile, are headed into dangerous waters following the Juventus loss. The Blues will need an opportunity to get their confidence and momentum back, but their next two Serie A matches will pit them against AC Milan and Fiorentina, respectively. Both football clubs are highly ranked in the league and currently enjoying solid undefeated runs of their own. Could this challenging gauntlet-combined with Europa League responsibilities-conspire to put an end to Napoli's Serie A chances? For the record, the Blues haven't won a Serie A title since 1990.

Which club is the best bet? Will Juventus continue their stunning streak of titles in the Serie A? Or will Gonzalo Higuain continue to enjoy a star-making season and push Napoli to the top of the table?

If you're rooting for the Zebras, start by picking up a brand new Juventus jersey 2015/16 from Soccer Box!