Juventus will be eager to fight off challenges for their third spot when Fiorentina come to Turin, keen to get back into European places.
It is almost a tragedy to think of the plight of Juventus over the last couple of months, for where they were and where they currently are ahead of the game against Fiorentina. The Bianconeri were in the thick of a title challenge with Inter Milan in February but find themselves 20 points behind the leaders and now in the thick of a top-four race.
In recent weeks, AC Milan have crawled in from behind and taken over the second spot, opening up a six-point advantage over Juventus. Moreover, fourth-placed Bologna are only two points behind the Bianconeri, meaning in the final games, Massimiliano Allegri might have to fend off rivals like Thiago Motta and even AS Roma’s Daniele De Rossi to secure third or fourth spot on the table.
In midweek, Juventus ended their winless run with a win over Lazio in the Coppa Italia semi-final first leg. Goals from Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic put the Bianconeri in a commanding position. However, the top-four race is not won yet, as plenty of ups and downs are expected, especially given how badly Allegri’s men have been playing since the turn of the year.
Fiorentina and Juventus have a long history, as La Viola always look to exact revenge on their Turin counterparts. In the reverse fixture at home, the Turin giants were triumphant after a solitary Fabio Miretti goal proved enough to secure three points.
Fiorentina’s recent record when travelling to play Juventus away from home is wretched. They have lost 11 of their last 12 games. La Viola have not scored in four of their last six coming there, meaning Vincenzo Italiano must bring some magic to Turin to turn things around.
As for their season’s ambitions, Fiorentina have plenty to play for, including a quarter-final in the UEFA Europa Conference League right after this game. They are also in the cup competition, while there are hopes for them to secure a European berth. Despite being in tenth place on the table, the Viola only trail fifth-placed Roma by nine points and have played a game less. A win in Turin would propel their quest to achieve Europe.
Team News & Tactics
Juventus
Barring maybe the returning Wojciech Szczesny for backup keeper Mattia Perin, Massimiliano Allegri is not expected to make any changes to his lineup that beat Lazio in midweek. The Juventus boss is close to having an entire squad at his disposal, with Arkadiusz Milik the only one missing from action, apart from banned duo Nicolo Fagioili and Paul Pogba.
Federico Gatti will assume his place in the back three alongside regular partners Gleison Bremer and Danilo. Andrea Cambiaso and Filip Kostic are the preferred choices for the wing-back roles on either flank, with a midfield three of Manuel Locatelli, Weston McKennie and Adrien Rabiot taking shape between them.
Allegri will unlikely change his front two players, with Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic the preferred strikers to lead the line. The latter will also want to prove a point against his old club and help Juventus keep hold of third place in the table.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cambiaso, McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Vlahovic, Chiesa
Fiorentina
Giacomo Bonaventura will return for Fiorentina in the Serie A after serving a suspension last weekend. He did play in the midweek cup clash and is in line to start on Sunday night. Vincenzo Italiano will have a full complement of players to choose from ahead of this trip to Turin.
The Viola boss made many rotations in midweek, including playing a few of his stars out of their natural positions. He could revert back to his strongest side and use the players in the correct roles.
Lucas Martinez and Luca Ranieri are Italiano’s preferred centre-back choices, with Dodo and Cristiano Biraghi stationed in the full-back roles. Arthur Melo and Alfred Duncan are the best options for the central midfield double-pivot, while key attacker Lucas Beltran takes up the attacking midfield berth right behind the striker.
Despite spending many years in the top flight, Andrea Belotti only has a modest tally of four goals against Juventus, something he might want to improve. The former Torino man will lead the line for Fiorentina, with Nico Gonzalez and Riccardo Sottil the choices to play out wide in the attacking third.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Terraciano; Dodo, Martinez, Ranieri, Biraghi; Arthur, Duncan; Gonzalez, Beltran, Sottil; Belotti
Key Stats
- Juventus have won nine of their last ten home matches against Fiorentina in all competitions.
- Juventus have kept a clean sheet in five of their last seven home matches against Fiorentina in all competitions.
- Juventus have picked up only seven points from their last nine games in Serie A.
- Fiorentina have lost 11 of their last 12 away matches against Juventus.
- Fiorentina have failed to score in four of their last six games against Juventus away from home.
Player to Watch
Dusan Vlahovic
Vlahovic has been an essential player for Juventus this season despite constant links with a move away from the club. Statistically, the Bianconeri’s win percentage drops from 64% to 20% without the Serbian striker and their goals-per-game ratio is halved.
Moreover, it is a big game from Vlahovic’s perspective as there is always the added pressure of facing former sides, which in this case is Fiorentina. Hence, for Juventus to keep hold of their third spot or even regain second, they will need their mains striker firing on all cylinders, starting with his former side, the Viola.
Prediction
Juventus 1-0 Fiorentina
Fiorentina are in decent form and come into this clash in Turin, where they have not been performing well against Juventus in recent years. Vincenzo Italiano does have some ambitions before leaving the cub in the summer, and that would also involve beating the Bianconeri at their ground.
However, Massimiliano Allegri’s men have the quality to get the better of Fiorentina, although there’s an expectation this game will be a cagey affair. Juventus might slightly nick the Viola to a narrow victory and keep hold of their third spot in the standings for the time being.