Juventus has a golden opportunity to claim the top spot in Serie A, even if it’s just for a day, when they face off against Hellas Verona on Saturday evening.
Match Preview
After a hard-fought victory over AC Milan last week, Juventus has closed the gap between them and the top two teams in the league.
A win against Verona would propel them to the summit of the standings.
In their previous match, Juventus struggled to break through a resilient AC Milan side.
However, Manuel Locatelli’s deflected shot from long range secured a precious 1-0 win for Juve.
Locatelli, a former Milan midfielder, celebrated his goal emotionally, ending a goal drought that had lasted for 50 league games.
Interestingly, one-third of his Serie A goals have come from outside the opposition area, including one against Verona in March 2021.
Despite Max Allegri’s reluctance to admit it, Juventus is firmly back in contention for the Scudetto after their impressive victories against Lazio and Milan.
With no European competitions to worry about, Juventus has been solid defensively, keeping clean sheets in their last two home league games and not conceding a goal in over 360 minutes.
Their defensive record is second only to Nice in Europe’s top five leagues.
In recent history, Juventus has dominated their encounters with Verona.
They have won each of their last three league matches against them, keeping a clean sheet in each game.
Moreover, they have scored in all of their last 20 meetings.
Verona, on the other hand, has struggled against Juventus, failing to win in their last 32 away matches in the Italian top flight and suffering 27 defeats.
Verona’s current form is cause for concern as they have only managed to secure two points from their last seven games.
They are currently hovering just above the relegation zone in Serie A.
After a 3-1 defeat to Napoli in their previous match, Verona is on the verge of suffering three consecutive league defeats for the first time this year.
The upcoming match against Juventus poses another tough challenge for Verona, especially considering their historical struggles at the Allianz Stadium.
Verona has never won a match there, making it an uphill battle for Marco Baroni’s team.
Given their lack of goals and the possibility of a relegation battle, any positive result against Juventus would be a significant achievement for Verona.
Team News:
Juventus will be without Nicolo Fagioli and Paul Pogba due to suspensions, while Danilo, Alex Sandro, and Mattia De Sciglio are sidelined with injuries.
Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic, who started on the bench in the previous match, may feature in the starting lineup against Verona.
Verona’s injury concerns are limited to Juan Cabal and Isak Hien, who will undergo assessments before the game.
Cyril Ngonge has been their most prolific scorer this season, but Darko Lazovic, who scored against Napoli, has a remarkable record of scoring in five straight top-flight campaigns for Verona.
Predicted Lineups:
Juventus:
Szczesny;
Gatti, Bremer, Rugani;
Weah, McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic;
Kean, Vlahovic
Hellas Verona:
Montipo;
Amione, Dawidowicz, Magnani;
Faraoni, Duda, Folorunsho, Doig;
Lazovic, Ngonge;
Bonazzoli
Prediction:
With their recent defensive solidity and Verona’s struggles in front of goal, Juventus should continue their winning streak and deny Verona a historic win at the Allianz Stadium.
We predict a 2-0 victory for Juventus against Hellas Verona.
