Juventus can finish the weekend as outright Serie A leaders if they can inflict further damage on visitors AS Roma in Turin.
The Thiago Motta reign at Juventus is off to a flying start after back-to-back victories and three goals scored in each of those games as they get set to host AS Roma. It is a breath of fresh air for the Bianconeri faithful to see their team playing exciting football on the pitch, something that was unheard of during the more pragmatic regime of Massimiliano Allegri.
To make his point, Motta has also managed to coach his side into keeping back-to-back clean sheets to begin the campaign. But it is the attacking side of the game that has seen drastic improvement. They began their Serie A campaign with a 3-0 win at home to newcomers Como and followed that up with a 3-0 away win at Hellas Verona.
They will now aim to finish the weekend as outright leaders in the league and head into the period of the international break high on confidence. It is a big step in the right direction for Juventus, as Motta will eye his third successive win as their new manager when they take on AS Roma in Turin.
Daniele De Rossi had hoped to begin the new season with the same enthusiasm as he ended the previous one. Much like Motta, the former midfielder was a breath of fresh air when he replaced Jose Mourinho at the Italian capital and produced some exciting football on the pitch.
However, in the new season, AS Roma have struggled to get a grip on proceedings as they failed to win either of their two opening games of the Serie A season. After a goalless draw against Cagliari to open their account for the new campaign, Roma suffered an unwanted home loss to Empoli.
The visitors took the lead at the stroke of half-time through Emmanuel Gyasi and doubled the advantage with a Lorenzo Colombo penalty midway through the second period. Eldor Shomurodov pulled a goal back around the 80th minute. But that only proved a consolation as De Rossi suffered a first hurdle on home soil. He will want an improved display on Sunday, when they take on Juventus in Turin.
Team News & Tactics
Juventus
Juventus will look to bank on momentum heading into their third Serie A contest, although Thiago Motta will have to contend with multiple absentees. Summer arrival Khephren Thuram is undoubtedly out of action, while there are others, such as Timothy Weah, Vasilije Adzic and Arkadiusz Milik, also on the sidelines.
Motta will also be delighted with some of the late signings for the squad as Nico Gonzalez, Francisco Conceicao and Teun Koopmeiners all arrived. Only Gonzalez is likely to make the starting eleven against AS Roma, while the other two are set for a place on the Juventus bench.
Dusan Vlahovic will hope to find his confidence in front of goal, after a brace against Hellas Verona last week. At the back, Federico Gatti and Gleison Bremer look like the settled choice in central defence, while the arrival of Gonzalez could see Motta use Andrea Cambiaso in the right-back role.
Italian pair Manuel Locatelli and Nicolo Fagioli are the preferred choices for now in central midfield. Kenan Yildiz and Samuel Mbangula are expected to feature in the attacking third for the Bianconeri against Roma.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Cambiaso, Gatti, Bremer, Cabal; Fagioli, Locatelli; Gonzalez, Yildiz, Mbangula; Vlahovic
AS Roma
Daniele De Rossi will be able to count upon an entire squad of players, with only Enzo Le Fee an absentee for this trip to Turin. There are a few changes expected to come through for this encounter after a dismal display at home against Empoli.
Ex-Juventus stars Matias Soule and Paulo Dybala could partner up to play behind striker Artem Dovbyk. Leandro Paredes is expected to hold the midfield together, with Bryan Cristante and Lorenzo Pellegrini on either side of the Argentine.
At the back, Evan Ndicka and Gianluca Mancini will keep their central defensive spots, with Zeki Celik likely to be preferred over new arrival Saud Abdulhamid at right-back.
Probable Lineup (4-3-2-1): Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Ndicka, Angelino; Cristante, Paredes, Pellegrini; Dybala, Soule; Dovbyk
Key Stats
- Juventus have won 13 of their last 15 home matches against AS Roma in all competitions.
- Juventus have kept a clean sheet in their last 3 matches in Serie A.
- AS Roma have won one of their last 9 matches in all competitions.
- AS Roma have yet to pick up their first win of this Serie A campaign.
Player to Watch
Dusan Vlahovic
If there was a player who could benefit more from a change of system and style of play, it is Vlahovic. The Serb drew a blank in Juventus’s opening game but came to life during their visit to Hellas Verona, where he scored a brace.
Vlahovic will enjoy more of Thiago Motta’s style as it puts more emphasis on the central striker, and he is currently the best Juventus have. Now, the forward must focus on building momentum and scoring goals for the side, as he will aim to bring back the lethal goalscoring form that prompted Juventus to pay big for him in the first place.
Prediction
Juventus 2-1 Roma
AS Roma will come into this game under pressure to deliver a win or at least take a point away from Turin, with the latter also seen as a respectable outcome. Daniele De Rossi will use his attacking setup to trouble the Juventus backline, although the hosts could prove a difficult side to break down.
Juventus are in supreme form entering into this clash with AS Roma, as Thiago Motta will expect nothing less than a victory on Sunday. The Bianconeri will also look to keep a third consecutive clean sheet, although they might concede an odd goal at some stage. In the end, they will be happy with the three points.