Thiago Motta will look to build momentum from Juventus’s midweek win towards rising in the Serie A standings as they host Venezia on Saturday.
Juventus fans were craving for a big win and saw their side leave the pitch in a different mood than their last four games as they get set to host Venezia at the Allianz Stadium. The Bianconeri had drawn their last four games across all competitions, including last weekend’s meeting with Thiago Motta with his former side, Bologna.
Motta will have been satisfied seeing his side overcome a tricky UEFA Champions League tie against English champions Manchester City. Second-half goals from Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie proved enough to take all three points at the expense of Pep Guardiola’s side, as Juventus moved up in the standings to a healthier position than before.
Now, Motta will want to carry that momentum from midweek into the weekend, as Juventus are eager to climb up the Serie A standings. Currently, Motta’s men are seven points behind leaders Atalanta and four behind nearest rival Lazio, and a win is a must at the weekend as the Bianconeri host Venezia.
Venezia will need massive improvements if they wish to get out of their current slump at the foot of the Serie A table. It has been five games since Eusebio Di Francesco’s side won a game of football, although that includes four defeats and a solitary draw they secured against Como last weekend.
The Venezia manager will want a statement result to galvanise his side, although one might see the difficulty in achieving that away in Turin. They face a Juventus side that is the only team yet to lose a game in Serie A this season, and Di Francesco has a huge task on his hands in the late kick-off on Saturday.
Team News & Tactics
Juventus
The midweek win over Manchester City saw Thiago Motta welcome back a few key stars that were missing from action recently. Those included midweek goalscorers Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie, while Douglas Luiz and Nicolo Savona also made their comebacks. Those returns boost the squad side ahead of a crucial period.
Nicolas Gonzalez is also closing in on a return from his injury. However, long-term absentees Juan Cabal, Gleison Bremer, and Arkadiusz Milik will not be available for the foreseeable future. In any case, Motta will have a strong enough lineup to select, although he will continue to retain most of those who featured in the midweek tie. Motta could carry on with the same back four, including Danilo at left-back, which worked against Manchester City.
In midfield, despite Luiz’s return, Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram are the starters for now and will keep their places against Venezia. Similarly, Motta is unlikely to make any changes in the final third as Dusan Vlahovic will lead the line with the support coming from Teun Koopmeiners, Kenan Yildiz and Francisco Conceicao in the attacking areas.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Savona, Gatti, Kalulu, Danilo; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Yildiz; Vlahovic
Venezia
Eusebio Di Francesco will be without Alfred Duncan and Richie Sagrado for this daunting trip to Turin. In addition, Antonio Raimondo is also unlikely to feature, although Magnus Kofod Andersen will replace Duncan in midfield for Venezia.
Di Francesco will continue to deploy a back three for this clash in the hope of controlling the Juventus attack. Giorgio Altare, Michael Svoboda, and Jay Idzes are all set to feature in the backline. Francesco Zampano and Mikael Ellertsson are the expected starters in the key wing-back roles, with Andersen and Hans Nicolussi Caviglia operating in the midfield engine room.
The latter debuted in Serie A for Juventus in 2019, and while he had fewer chances in Turin, he is a mainstay in Di Francesco’s Venezia side. Gaetano Oristanio and Gianluca Busio will play an advanced role in the attacking setup, supporting striker Joel Pohjanpalo.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Stankovic; Altare, Svoboda, Idzes; Zampano, Andersen, Caviglia, Ellertsson; Busio, Oristanio; Pohjanpalo
Key Stats
- Juventus are undefeated in their last 23 matches in Serie A.
- Juventus have won five of their last six matches against Venezia in all competitions.
- Venezia have conceded at least two goals in eight of their last ten matches in Serie A.
- Venezia have claimed the fewest points and hold the worst defensive record away from home.
Player to Watch
Dusan Vlahovic
The Serbian striker was on song against Manchester City during midweek and put in a commanding display to open the scoring for Juventus. He will be key going forward, as Thiago Motta hopes for the striker to hit top form from here on.
A good performance against Venezia will boost his confidence in returning to his best self, as Vlahovic will target goals in this home clash. The in-demand striker needs to add consistency to his goalscoring numbers, and he does have good enough support at the back with Koopmeiners Teun and Kenan Yildiz pulling the strings.
Prediction
Juventus 2-0 Venezia
Venezia come into this clash under tremendous pressure to stay in touching distance of their other relegation rivals. They are three points behind the nearest team, meaning a win would help them in a big way, although the game against Juventus will be a tough ask for Eusebuo Di Francesco to expect a win or even a draw.
Juventus are coming into this clash after a stellar win over Manchester City and will be confident of getting another win. Thiago Motta will have realised some of the mistakes from previous games, and he will look to make things comfortable and get the three points against Venezia while keeping a clean sheet.
