Juventus will host Udinese at the Allianz Stadium on Monday, looking to bounce back from the disappointing defeat against Inter Milan.
Juventus are second in the league table, seven points adrift of the league leaders ahead of the visit of Udinese on Monday. They cannot afford to keep dropping points if they want to stay in the title race.
This is a must-win contest for the Bianconeri, and it remains to be seen whether the home side can step up and grind out a positive result. They have an excellent head-to-head record against Monday’s opposition, and the home fans will be expecting a strong reaction from the players.
Udinese are 17th in the league table, and they will be desperate to preserve their status as a top-flight club next season. They will need to start grinding out points if they want to beat the drop this season.
The visitors are winless in their last five matches in the league, and they will be desperate to bounce back strongly. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Juventus
The home team will be without the services of Mattia De Sciglio and Mattia Perin because of their respective knee injuries. Meanwhile, Paul Pogba, Danilo and Nicolo Fagioli are suspended.
Juventus will shape up in their usual 3-5-2 formation, with Wojciech Szczesny in goal. In the back three, Federico Gatti will start alongside Gleison Bremer and Alex Sandro. Andrea Cambiaso and Filip Kostic will start in the wing-back positions, and they will look provide cover to the defensive unit and help out in the attack.
In the middle of the park, Weston McKennie and Manuel Locatelli will look to add defensive cover and drive to the side. Adrien Rabiot will start alongside them, and he will look to control the tempo of the game and recycle possession. Finally, Arkadiusz Milik will lead the line for Juventus along with Federico Chiesa.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Sandro; Cambiaso, McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Chiesa, Milik
Udinese
The visitors are without the services of Enzo Ebosse (knee), Gerard Deulofeu (knee), and Jaka Bijol (ankle) because of their respective injuries. In addition, Roberto Pereyra is suspended for Udinese.
The away side will shape up in a 3-5-1-1 formation, with Maduka Okoye in goal. In the back three, Nehuen Perez will start alongside Lautaro Giannetti and Thomas Kristensen. Walace will start as the defensive midfielder here, and he will look to protect the back three and break up opposition attacks.
Kingsley Ehizibue and Jordan Zemura will start as the wing-backs. They will look to provide defensive cover to the side and help out during counter-attacks. Sandi Lovric and Lazar Samardzic will add creativity and control in the middle of the park.
Florian Thauvin will start as the attacking midfielder here, and he will look to link up with the striker and create goalscoring opportunities. Finally, Lorenzo Lucca will lead the line for Udinese against Juventus.
Probable Lineup (3-5-1-1): Okoye; Perez, Giannetti, Kristensen; Ehizibue, Lovric, Walace, Samardzic, Zemura; Thauvin; Lucca
Key Stats
- Juventus have won their last eight home matches against Udinese in all competitions.
- Udinese have failed to win 25 of their last 27 matches in Serie A.
- Juventus have kept a clean sheet in their last four matches against Udinese in all competitions.
- 14 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two sides.
- Juventus have picked up four wins and a draw from their last six league matches.
Player to Watch
Federico Chiesa
The 26-year-old Italian international produced an impressive performance against Sassuolo recently, and he will look to continue his impressive run off form this season. Those displays have helped him attract attention of top clubs, including Liverpool.
The attacker has six goals and an assist in 13 league starts the season, and Juventus will need him to step up and create goalscoring opportunities in the final third. If he steps up, the home side will fancy their chances of taking three points from the game.
Prediction
Juventus 2-1 Udinese
The home team are certainly the favourites on paper, and they are in better form as well. Despite the defeat to Inter Milan, they are going through a purple patch and will be expected to grind out all three points.
Udinese are going through a slump right now, and they are devoid of form and confidence. The away side are likely to put up a fight here, but Juventus have the quality to edge this one. A narrow home win is on the cards.
