Juventus will look to return to the summit of Serie A when they take on Genoa at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium on Friday.
Club football resumes this week, and the 2023/24 Serie A season will continue with Matchday 16 on Friday. The latest round of fixtures will kick off at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium, where Genoa will host Juventus, with both teams in good nick in different contexts.
Genoa might be in the lower mid-table section of the Serie A table. They might have one of their last six games in all competitions. But Il Grifone’s home form has been excellent, with the team not losing at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium since October. Alberto Gilardino’s men have lost only twice on their home turf, amassing 11 points thus far.
As for Juventus, the fallen giants of Serie A football have scaled the heights of the Italian top flight after a few years this season. Massimiliano Allegri’s men are in the thick of the Scudetto race, with the table-topping Inter Milan only two points ahead. With the Nerazzurri not playing until Sunday night, the Bianconeri will have the chance to go to the top of the table.
The most recent Serie A fixture involving Genoa and Juventus at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium ended in a 2-1 win for the home side. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Genoa
Alberto Gilardino does not have many issues to deal with ahead of his side’s latest fixture. Against Juventus on Friday, the Genoa manager will be bereft of the services of only one first-team player.
Kevin Strootman is the only player in the treatment room, with the Dutch midfielder recovering from a hamstring injury. Josep Martinez will take his spot between the sticks, with Genoa lining up in a 3-5-2 formation in front of him.
The backline should feature Koni De Winter, Johan Vasquez, and the in-demand Radu Dragusin. The trio will look to remain compact at the back and receive help from the wing-backs, with Genoa aiming to cut off the passing lanes for Juventus.
Speaking of the wing-backs, Stefano Sabelli and Ridgeciano Haps will take up the position on the flanks. They will look to provide the width in the final third while creating overloads at the back in the defensive phases.
As for the midfield unit, Ruslan Malinovskyi will return to the starting eleven after missing the game against AC Monza due to a suspension. The Ukrainian international will join Morten Frendrup and captain Milan Badelj in the middle of the park. Finally, Mateo Retegui and Albert Gudmundsson will be the two strikers for Genoa against Juventus.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Martinez; De Winter, Dragusin, Vasquez; Sabelli, Malinovskyi, Badelj, Frendrup, Haps; Retegui, Gudmundsson
Juventus
Unlike his counterpart in the Genoa dugout, Massimiliano Allegri has a few pressing concerns hampering his preparations ahead of the trip to the Luigi Ferraris Stadium. The Juventus boss will be without four first-team players on Friday.
Nicolo Fagioli and Paul Pogba are serving their respective suspensions and will not be available for the foreseeable future. In addition, Mattia De Sciglio (knee) and Moise Kean (leg) are on the sidelines, with the duo recovering from their injuries.
Like Genoa, Juventus will line up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Wojciech Szczesny featuring between the sticks. The central defensive unit will likely feature Federico Gatti, Gleison Bremer, and Danilo. But unlike Genoa, the Juventus full-backs will have more freedom to express themselves in the final third.
So, Andrea Cambiaso and Filip Kostic will provide the width in the final third. As for the midfield unit, Weston McKennie, Manuel Locatelli, and Adrien Rabiot should form a dynamic trifecta in the middle of the park. Finally, Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa will be the two attackers, with the former having the pressure on him to deliver the goods amid his faltering form.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cambiaso, McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Vlahovic, Chiesa
Key Stats
- After a run of five defeats in a row against Juventus in Serie A, Genoa beat the Bianconeri in the most recent league fixture featuring the two teams. Il Grifone can win two in a row against Juventus for the first time since 1991.
- None of Genoa’s last ten home games against Juventus has ended in a draw (W4 L6). The most recent stalemate came in March 2012.
- Genoa are unbeaten in five of their last six home games in Serie A (W3 D2), raking in seven points in their most recent three outings at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium.
- Juventus have picked up 36 points in 15 games thus far this season. A win on Friday will help the Bianconeri rack up more points than they did in the first half of the 2022/23 campaign.
- Juventus have kept a clean sheet in seven of their last ten matches on the road.
Player to Watch
Dusan Vlahovic
Vlahovic has not been at his best after a strong start to the 2023/24 season. The Serb seemed to have exorcised the demons from last term. But he has gone into the same shell he found himself in throughout the previous campaign.
Amid rumours that Juventus might enter the market for a striker, Vlahovic needs to step up and make his mark in Massimiliano Allegri’s team. While the Juventus boss can count on Federico Chiesa, he needs the others to step up alongside the Italian international to have a chance to win the Serie A title. If not, the Bianconeri will likely concede the title to Inter Milan this season.
Prediction
Genoa 1-2 Juventus
There might not be much to separate Genoa and Juventus despite their respective positions on the Serie A table. The hosts have a solid record at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium and have not lost a game at home since October. So, Juventus cannot take Il Grifone lightly.
However, the visitors have a strong enough squad to scrape through by the odd goal and clinch a crucial three points. Expect Federico Chiesa to deliver the goods again, with Juventus winning 2-1 to go to the top of the Serie A table and put some pressure on Inter Milan.
