Juventus will look to start the new year strongly when they face Cremonese at the Giovanni Zini Stadium on Wednesday.
The mid-season break in Italy is finally over, and the 2022/23 Serie A season will resume with Matchday 16. The latest round of fixtures will kick off with the game between Salernitana and AC Milan. Juventus will be in action later in the day when they lock horns with Cremonese at the Giovanni Zini Stadium.
US Cremonese returned to Serie A after a long gap after finishing second in Serie B last season. But things have not been easy in the top flight for La Cremo, as they sit in the relegation zone after the first 15 matchdays. Massimiliano Alvini’s men are the only team yet to win a Serie A game this term. But seven draws have lifted them above Sampdoria and Hellas Verona in the standings.
On the other hand, 2022/23 has been a torrid season thus far for Juventus. The Bianconeri failed to get past the group stage in the UEFA Champions League, falling to the Europa League after finishing third in a group also consisting of PSG and Benfica. But just when their fortunes were improving in Serie A with six consecutive wins, a bombshell arrived in the form of a financial scandal, costing the board members their positions.
Cremonese and Juventus played out a 3-3 draw the last time they clashed in Serie A. And The Hard Tackle now takes a closer look at the league encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Cremonese
Mister #Alvini ha convocato 2️⃣3️⃣ grigiorossi per #CremoneseJuventus 📝➡️ https://t.co/JRTqtCK8g2#SolAmAi #ForzaGrigiorossi #DaiCremo #SerieATIM 🔘🔴 pic.twitter.com/EfnIANmPLz
— U.S. Cremonese (@USCremonese) January 3, 2023
Massimiliano Alvini does not have many issues to deal with ahead of the visit of Juventus. The Cremonese manager will be without one first-team player on Wednesday, with veteran defender Vlad Chiriches out injured.
Marco Carnesecchi, one of the most highly-rated goalkeepers in Italy, will take his place between the sticks. Cremonese will line up in a 4-3-2-1 formation in front of him, with Leonardo Sernicola, Jack Hendry, Matteo Bianchetti, and Emanuele Valeri forming the back four.
Bianchetti will marshall the backline, with Hendry forming the central defensive partnership alongside him. The two full-backs will need to remain compact to keep things tight at the back. But they will also be responsible for providing width in the final third.
Soualiho Meite, Michele Castagnetti, and Charles Pickel will shore up things in the middle of the park. Castagnetti will sit at the base of the midfield, with Meite and Pickel providing defensive support to him. The duo will also provide the forward thrust and link up with the attackers.
David Okereke will reprise a slightly withdrawn role, with Cristian Buonaiuto sitting alongside him. The duo will link up with Cyriel Dessers in the final third, with the 28-year-old leading the line for Cremonese against Juventus.
Probable Lineup (4-3-2-1): Carnesecchi; Sernicola, Hendry, Bianchetti, Valeri; Meite, Castagnetti, Pickel; Buonaiuto, Okereke; Dessers
Juventus
Unlike his counterpart in the Cremonese dugout, Massimiliano Allegri has a gamut of injury woes hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to the Giovanni Zini Stadium. The Juventus manager will be without seven first-team players.
Dusan Vlahovic is the most notable absentee due to a muscle injury. The Serbian striker has joined Paul Pogba (hamstring), Juan Cuadrado (knee), Leonardo Bonucci (groin), and Kaio Jorge (knock) on the sidelines. In addition, Leandro Paredes and Angel Di Maria will likely miss out after returning to Italy from their post-World Cup breaks this week.
⚪⚫ called up for #CremoneseJuve 📢 pic.twitter.com/vMcBMZI6vE
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) January 3, 2023
Wojciech Szczesny was solid at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and will be eager to continue his rich vein of form this week. Juventus will line up in a 3-5-2 formation in front of the experienced Polish goalkeeper. And Daniele Rugani, Gleison Bremer, and Alex Sandro should form the central defensive unit.
With Cuadrado not overcoming a knee issue, Danilo will likely start as the right wing-back for Juventus. And Filip Kostic should feature on the left flank in the wide role. The wing-back duo will provide width in the final third.
Nicolo Fagioli, Adrien Rabiot, and Manuel Locatelli will shore up things in the middle of the park. And Allegri has plenty of cover for the trio in the reserves for the trip to Cremonese. Finally, Moise Kean and Arkadiusz Milik should form the strike partnership for Juventus.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Szczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Sandro; Cuadrado, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Kean, Milik
Key Stats
- Juventus are the team against whom Cremonese have played the most matches without ever winning in Serie A: in 14 matches against the Bianconeri, they have picked up only four points (D4).
- Cremonese have not won any match in Serie A this season. The last three teams without a win after 15 Serie A games finished in 20th place (Hellas Verona 2015/16, Benevento 2017/18 and Chievo Verona 2018/19).
- Cremonese have kept two clean sheets in their last two home league matches. Only between February and April 1995 did they enjoy a longer run of successive home shutouts in the competition (four in that case).
- Juventus have won their last six league games without conceding. The last time they clinched more wins consecutively without letting in a goal in Serie A was back in March 2018 (nine under Massimiliano Allegri). Having picked up only two points from six away league games, Juventus have won 1-0 in each of their last three matches on the road in Serie A against Torino, Lecce and Hellas Verona.
- Adrien Rabiot has been involved in five goals in his last five Serie A matches (three goals, two assists), as many as in his previous 42 appearances in the Italian top flight.
Player to Watch
Adrien Rabiot
Increased output from the midfield has been a vital factor in helping Juventus turn the tide in Serie A. And Adrien Rabiot has played a pivotal role in ensuring the reversal of fortunes. In addition, the Frenchman is coming off a solid campaign at the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Les Bleus.
The 27-year-old is gradually getting back to his best, with the upturn in form coinciding with his expiring contract. With several bigwigs keen on signing him, he has the opportunity to get his stock skyrocketing. So a crucial second half of the 2022/23 season beckons Rabiot.
Prediction
Cremonese 0-2 Juventus
Cremonese can trouble Juventus this midweek, considering the six-week break killed the visitors’ momentum. But the hosts do not have enough quality to snatch even one point from the game. So while Juventus might take some time to get going, Federico Chiesa and Arkadiusz Milik should clinch the victory on Wednesday.
