Juventus will aim to set the record straight with a win over AC Monza as Thiago Motta will be desperate not to lose any more ground in the title race.
AC Monza are yet to register their first win on home soil in Serie A this season, and embattled boss Alessandro Nesta will hope Sunday will be the turning point in their season when they host Juventus. So far, the club’s board have kept faith in the legendary Italian defender to keep the club afloat in the top flight, but a few more bad results could spell the end for him.
AC Monza are winless in nine games across all competitions, which does paint a grim picture for their immediate future. They have also lost back-to-back Serie A games coming into this one, although Nesta will bank on the team performing against Juventus, against whom they have a decent enough record, with two wins in four top-flight games since their promotion to the top flight.
Nesta will take some know-how of Juventus from Bianconeri’s most recent Serie A game against basement club Venezia. Monza will make the best of the opportunity and the form their visitors are in the top flight, as it is not overly out of sorts to dream at least a point and further hurt their chances in the title race.
Mounting a credible title challenge is already looking like an uphill task for Juventus following yet another draw in the latest league outing, which was also their fourth in a row in Serie A. The Bianconeri failed to capitalise on the momentum from the win over Manchester City, as they barely escaped with a draw against bottom-placed Venezia last weekend.
Dusan Vlahovic was on point to tuck away a late penalty in second-half injury time to salvage a point, which was Juventus’s tenth draw of their Serie A campaign. They remain unbeaten in the league but only have six wins to show for their cause, which has so far hurt their ability to mount a serious challenge for the title.
Thiago Motta will look forward to another league game with the same hope of securing three points. Only this time with more dropped points, Juventus could start fading away from being relevant in the title challenge, considering they are already nine points off leaders Atalanta.
Team News & Tactics
AC Monza
On the one hand, there is the pressure to climb up the standings, and on the other, Alessandro Nesta has his thinking hat on how to set up this team with the many injuries he has to deal with.
There are at least five players set to miss this Juventus clash, with another suspended and one a big doubt. Daniel Maldini is suspended, while key stars Matteo Pessina, Milan Djuric and Roberto Gagliardini are among those absent.
Nesta is set to field a typical setup with a back three of Armando Izzo, Pablo Mari, and Andrea Carboni. Pedro Pereira and Georgios Kyriakopoulos will play in the wide roles, with midfielders Warren Bondo and Alessandro Bianco sandwiched between the two wing-backs.
Gianluca Caprari and Patrick Ciurria are the best-placed options to play in the advanced role, with Dany Mota leading the line for Monza.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Turati; Izzo, Mari, Carboni; Pereira, Bondo, Bianco, Kyriakopoulos; Caprari, Ciurria; Mota
Juventus
Some of the injuries Thiago Motta has to contend with could come to define Juventus’s season, given how many key players he could miss, particularly in the defence. Juan Cabal and Gleison Bremer are out for the season, while the likes of Arkadiusz Milik have not featured at all this term.
In midweek, Motta used midfielders Manuel Locatelli and Weston McKennie at the back, but Federico Gatti’s return should change that against Monza. Nicolo Savona and Danilo should feature in the full-back roles, while Pierre Kalulu and Gatti will play centrally on Sunday.
Locatelli will return to the midfield alongside Khephren Thuram there. However, Motta will still lean towards caution with his midfield options as Douglas Luiz and versatile star Andrea Cambiaso are still some short of full-match fitness.
Nico Gonzalez has also returned to training, and it remains to be seen whether he’s involved straight away, as Francisco Conceicao is still seen as the starting right winger ahead of the Monza clash. Dusan Vlahovic is expected to lead the line for Juventus, with Kenan Yildiz and Teun Koopmeiners set to feature in the other attacking positions.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Savona, Gatti, Kalulu, Danilo; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Yildiz; Vlahovic
Key Stats
- AC Monza have failed to win their last eight matches in Serie A.
- Monza have yet to win a Serie A game on home soil this season.
- Juventus are undefeated in their last 24 matches in Serie A.
- Juventus have drawn their last four Serie A matches.
Player to Watch
Dusan Vlahovic
There is no other player to look at in this Juventus side when it comes to Serie A games, as they desperately need answers on the frontline despite having most of their injury-related issues at the back. In any case, Vlahovic once again came in for a clutch moment as he tucked away a crucial penalty against basement club Venezia, who came as close as anyone to inflicting a first league defeat for Thiago Motta this season.
Once again, the problem with Juventus has been scoring at a convincing rate and protecting a good enough lead, as narrow margins have come back to bite them time and again this term. Hence, the emphasis will again be on Vlahovic to get those goals, as the Serb remains the best bet in Motta’s side to find the back of the net.
Prediction
AC Monza 0-2 Juventus
Monza will come into this clash at the back of a dreadful home record this season and key injuries threatening to hamper their chances of survival. In any case, they are not in the best of form to enter this match with the conviction of getting something out of it despite Juventus’s form.
Motta will be desperate to have the cup form into the league, as the Juventus boss is desperate for a win after four consecutive Serie A draws, and to stay relevant in the title race if there is still one in the making. The Bianconeri have the players and quality to see off a hapless Monza side and even keep a clean sheet in the process.