A rejuvenated Juventus will face a Hellas Verona side that cannot buy a win this season in their final Serie A fixture before the World Cup hiatus
A rejuvenated Juventus will travel to the Marcantonio Bentegodi Stadium to take on Hellas Verona in the Serie A on Thursday night. Morale will be high in the Bianconeri camp following their 2-0 win over Inter Milan at the Allianz Stadium last weekend.
The victory comes on the back of a poor start to the season that has seen Massimiliano Allegri’s men not just drop points in six of their opening 12 Serie A games but also get eliminated from the UEFA Champions League at the group stage.
Juventus’s mixture of youth and experience clicked at the weekend and could pave the way forward for Allegri and co. With the World Cup break coming up, the Italians could make use of the hiatus to work on their tactics.
The same cannot be said of Hellas Verona, who are in free-fall right now. Rock bottom of Serie A, Salvatore Bocchetti’s side will need to stem the tide and get their bearings together. With just one win in their opening 13 games, Verona are on an eight-game losing streak, an unfortunate club record.
Facing Juventus, especially when the Bianconeri have their tails up will be a difficult proposition. Both teams will be keen to go into their break with a win, and it promises to be an intriguing contest. Juventus in particular, have several players set to depart for the World Cup, and one could argue that these stars might not be too keen to give it their all and risk any unfortunate injuries. This could work in Verona’s favour on the night.
The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Hellas Verona
📝 Ecco i 2️⃣4️⃣ convocati di mister #Bocchetti per #VeronaJuve 🟡🔵
📡 Dove vederla 👇
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📲 #DAZN ➡️ https://t.co/8yo48lNV6l#HVFC #SerieATIM pic.twitter.com/i4PKS1iYdc— Hellas Verona FC (@HellasVeronaFC) November 9, 2022
There are problems aplenty for Hellas Verona given their poor run of form. With just one win in 13 games, they are bottom of the Serie A standings and have a long and hard road ahead of them.
Bocchetti’s men have been generous at the back and have failed to keep a single clean sheet in the top flight this campaign. The home side could have their work cut out against Juventus on the night.
David Faraoni is out injured, while Giangiacomo Magnani is suspended following his sending-off against Monza. Verona, however, welcome back Pawel Dawidowicz, Federico Ceccherini and Fabio Depaoli in the defence. Ivan Ilic has also been named in the squad and could feature on the night.
The home side are likely to set up in a 3-4-2-1 formation on the night. Winning the midfield battle and gaining control of the pace of the game represents Verona’s best chance of earning at least a point on the night.
Lorenzo Montipo should start in goal behind the back three of Pawel Dawidowicz, Koray Gunter and Federico Ceccherini. Fabio Depaoli and Josh Doig will be the wing-backs, while Miguel Veloso and Adrien Tameze will be entrusted with keeping the shape in the middle of the park.
The duo of Yayah Kallon and Darko Lazovic will be entrusted to forge goalscoring opportunities for Thomas Henry upfront in the attack.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Montipo; Dawidowicz, Gunter, Ceccherini; Depaoli, Veloso, Tameze, Doig; Kallon, Lazovic; Henry
Juventus
Juventus welcomed back Federico Chiesa last weekend but the Italian has not bene picked for the game this weekend. Paul Pogba, however, is still out injured and will not return to action anytime soon.
Leandro Paredes and Moise Kean have both returned to training and could play a role on the night. The same cannot be said of Weston McKennie, Mattia De Sciglio and Dusan Vlahovic. All three players are still out injured and are not expected to play a part on the night.
Allegri is likely to go with a formation that will offer him the flexibility to change things around when needed. An uncharacteristic 3-5-1-1 could be the order of the day, with the formation susceptible to change with how the game pans out.
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— JuventusFC (@juventusfc) November 9, 2022
Wojciech Szczesny should start in goal behind the back three of Danilo, Gleison Bremer and Alex Sandro. Juan Cuadrado and Filip Kostic will be tasked with providing the width out on the flanks, with the trio of Manuel Locatelli, Nicolo Fagioli and Adrien Rabiot manning the field in the centre.
Fabio Mireti will function as a number 10, carving out goalscoring opportunities for Arkadiusz Milik upfront. The Polish star has an excellent record against Verona and will be back to continue his scoring spree against them on the night.
Probable Lineup (3-5-1-1): Sczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Sandro; Cuadrado, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Miretti; Milik
Key Stats
- Hellas Verona have defeated Juventus twice in their last five games. Since 2020, Verona have only experienced more wins against Spezia and Cagliari in Serie A.
- Hellas Verona have so far won 12 home games against Juventus in Serie A. This is their best record against a top-flight rival in the competition.
- The last time Juventus won a Serie A game on a Thursday was against Cagliari in 2014.
- Hellas Verona are coming off the back of an eight-game losing streak in Serie A. It is a club record that the home side have little to be proud of.
- A loss on the night will see Hellas Verona lose six of their opening seven games in the Serie A for the first time in their history.
- Hellas Verona have conceded 26 goals in Serie A this season and have the worst defensive record in the Italian top flight. Juventus, meanwhile, are on the other end of the spectrum, having let in just seven strikes in 13 games.
Player to Watch
Arkadiusz Milik
With Vlahovic out and Kean not completely fit, Milik could lead the line for Juventus on the night. The Polish ace has an excellent record against the Italian minnows, scoring four goals in three Serie A games.
A clinical striker who has scored some key goals for the club this season, he will be keen to potentially depart for the World Cup after having led Juventus to another win. Capable of holding up the ball and also running into space, Milik could benefit from Miretti’s movement and eye for a pass.
The 28-year-old is also a force to be reckoned with in the air, and can thrive off crosses from Juan Cuadrado and Filip Kostic. Given Verona’s defensive frailties, it will be a surprise if Milik does not find the back of the net on the night.
Prediction
Hellas Verona 0-2 Juventus
Verona are struggling for form and morale and are privy to being vulnerable to a fast start. An early goal for Juventus will get the ball rolling and make life easier for the visitors. More so, they appear to have found their mojo and also have the upper hand when it comes to squad quality.
A lot could depend on which Juventus turns up on the night. The one that battered Inter Milan or the side that lost to Monza. Either way, anything less than a comfortable two-goal win for Juventus will come as a shock.
