Frosinone Calcio will be out to get another scalp when they take on Juventus in Serie A this weekend.
Frosinone have never beaten Juventus in their history but will be buzzing following their clinical dismantling of Serie A champions Napoli in the Coppa Italia earlier this week.
The 4-0 win at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium was a statement, and Massimiliano Allegri will be wary of being caught out this weekend. Frosinone have one of the best home records in Serie A this season and despite going in as favourites, Juventus cannot afford to take the result for granted.
Largely made up of players taken on loan from big clubs, Frosinone are making the optimal use of the resources afforded to them. The Canarini might not look formidable on paper, but their performances on the field outweigh expectations off it.
Having topped Serie B, Frosinone are now comfortable in mid-table, giving themselves a great shot at retaining their Serie A status come the end of the current season. Having lost their home opener against Napoli, the Canarini have gone seven games unbeaten at Stadio Benito Stirpe.
Juventus are once again back in the fray for the Scudetto and will be keen to keep the pressure on Inter Milan. A win in the early kick off will see the Bianconeri move to within a point of the Nerazzurri ahead of the latter’s clash against Lecce later on Saturday night. The Hard Tackle takes a look at how these two sides will line up and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
Frosinone Calcio
Eusebio Di Francesco will be without Luca Mazzitelli, Riccardo Marchizza and Real Madrid loanee Reinier. However, it is not all bad news as Anthony Oyono, who limped off against Lecce last weekend should return to action. Caleb Okoli, meanwhile, is suspended for the game.
The win away to Napoli will be a massive morale booster for the home side and will give them confidence ahead of the clash against Juventus. The Bianconeri have been solid but are yet to hit top gear and could be there for the taking if Frosinone are brave enough. After all, securing maximum points at home should be their priority as there is still much to play for this season.
Di Francesco is expected to restore his best players to the playing XI and should field three Juventus loanees against their parent club. Kaio Jorge, Matias Soule and Enzo Barrenechea have all impressed this season and will hope to make an impression against their parent club.
A 4-3-3 formation is the way forward, with Stefano Turati in goal. He should be protected by the back four of Pol Lirola, Ilario Monterisi, Simone Romagnoli, and Anthony Oyono.
Marco Brescianini and Francesco Gelli will aim to get forward thanks to the midfield cushion offered by Enzo Barrenechea. Matias Soule and Arijon Ibrahimovic should provide the width with Kaio Jorge starting up front.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Turati; Lirola, Monterisi, Romagnoli, Oyono; Brescianini, Barrenechea, Gelli; Soule, Jorge, Ibrahimovic
Juventus
The Bianconeri are not yet back on their perch but have shown considerable life this season in terms of challenging for the title. They cannot afford to drop points to sides in the lower half of the table, and Massimiliano Allegri will need to adopt an attacking stance to take the game to Frosinone.
However, the Italian giants will be without Moise Kean and Mattia De Sciglio, who are both injured. Paul Pogba and Nicolo Fagioli are suspended, while Adrien Rabiot is expected to return to action after recovering from a rib injury.
Dusan Vlahovic is likely to be dropped to the bench given his struggles in front of goal. Arkadiusz Milik is expected to return to the playing XI alongside Federico Chiesa upfront in the attack.
A 3-5-2 formation appears to be in the offing, with Wojciech Szczesny in goal. Federico Gatti, Gleison Bremer and Danilo should form the back three, with Andrea Cambiaso and Filip Kostic should function as the wing-backs.
Manuel Locatelli should hold the fort in the middle with Weston McKennie and Adrien Rabiot flanking him in the middle of the park. Arkadiusz Milik and Federico Chiesa should lead the attack.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cambiaso, McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Chiesa, Milik
Key Stats
- Frosinone have never ever defeated Juventus in their history, drawing one and losing the remaining five clashes.
- Frosinone are currently unbeaten in their last seven league games at home. Only Juventus and Bologna from the Serie A clubs are also unbeaten in this time.
- Only Juventus, Bologna and AC Milan have picked up more points than Frosinone at home this season in the league.
- Frosinone have a 100 percent losing streak against teams occupying the top two positions in the league at the start of the day. In fact, Frosinone have not even scored against such an opposition while conceding over two goals on average.
- A draw on Saturday will see Juventus draw two consecutive Serie A games for the first time since September 2022. Over the last two seasons, Juventus are the side with the most away clean sheets in Serie A (15).
Player to Watch
Arkadiusz Milik
With Dusan Vlahovic struggling for goals, Arkadiusz Milik should once again get an opportunity to impress. The Polish striker has played a mere 375 minutes this season, scoring two goals and assisting one more across 15 games.
The 27-year-old has the ability to cause damage to the Frosinone defence and will have the motivation to make an impression. Alongside Federico Chiesa, Milik should prove to eb a daunting attacker to keep quiet.
Prediction
Frosinone Calcio 1-1 Juventus
Frosinone are likely to be confident on the night, with Juventus adopting a wary approach. With neither side unlikely to back down, it promises to be a close game with little margin for error. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between both the teams.
