Juventus vs Fiorentina: Preview and Prediction

Juventus and Fiorentina take on each other in a crunch Serie A encounter as both teams look to maintain a relevant distance with the top order.

Juventus fans will have been relieved at watching their team take three points and break the frustrating trend of drawing games ahead of the visit of Fiorentina. The Bianconeri entered last weekend’s clash away at AC Monza at the back of four consecutive stalemates, which had effectively disrupted their chances of a title challenge.

The fans will be hoping for consecutive wins now that there is some momentum with these players, although the Bianconeri have to host a formidable-looking Fiorentina side. Juventus have a one-sided record against the Viola in at least the last 12 league meetings, which does make them slight favourites.

The pressure will be on Thiago Motta to show some resilience and poise to help steer the team back into title contention. So far, they are on 31 points after 17 rounds, with a nine-point gap separating them from leaders Atalanta. Juventus also host a Fiorentina side slightly above them on the table with the same number of points, and Motta will want to go above the Florence side at the end of the weekend.

Fiorentina boss Raffaele Palladino will have rued the team’s chances in the previous game against Udinese last weekend, which has effectively dented their hopes of a title challenge. That defeat was a second in a row in Serie A for the Viola, who have also succumbed to a solitary Bologna goal in the matchday before last.

Those two losses may affect Fiorentina’s momentum heading into the clash with Juventus, as before the Bologna defeat, they were on an unbeaten run of ten games comprising nine wins and a single draw. Their superb form during that phase had helped Palladino’s men climb into the top four, as the task will be to stay there for as long as possible.

Heading to Turin, Fiorentina are level on points with Juventus with a superior goal difference, and they would want to stay as close as possible to the top order. Hence, a win would be essential in one of the toughest away grounds in the league, especially with Juventus finding some momentum in recent times.

Team News & Tactics

Juventus

Thiago Motta will be without a few of his key first-team stars, such as long-term absentees Gleison Bremer, Arkadiusz Milik, and Juan Cabal. Timothy Weah, Jonas Rouhi, and Douglas Luiz are also part of the treatment room for now, which will cause the manager some selection headaches.

The biggest issue so far is a stable defensive setup, as the many injuries in the defensive department have seen the manager shuffle things quite consistently. In fact, there are chances that. Ottawa might name a near-identical starting lineup that beat Monza in the previous matchday.

The only possible change here could see Andrea Cambiaso return to the lineup in place of makeshift left-back Weston McKennie. However, America’s goalscoring contribution might see him retain his place in the lineup. There are a few former Fiorentina players, and at the current moment, Nico Gonzalez is the man in question, as the fans will hope to see the best out of him against his former side.

There is also Dusan Vlahovic, who has yet to find the net against Fiorentina since leaving them to join Juventus, as he has left the game with a blank on four occasions since his move to Turin.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Savona, Gatti, Kalulu, McKennie; Locatelli, Koopmeiners; Conceicao, Gonzalez, Yildiz; Vlahovic

Fiorentina

Raffaele Palladino does no have any problems with his squad, as a full complement of players are available for selection for Fiorentina against Juventus. There are still some doubts about Eduardo Bove, but he, too, should be expected to make the matchday squad ahead of Sunday. Dodo, who missed the last game through suspension will return and replace Michael Kayode at right-back.

The fact that Juventus have at least two former Fiorentina stars, the Viola have one of the Bianconeri’s in Moise Kean, who has recently managed to take his goals tally into double figures. The Italian striker will start up front alongside two Lucas Beltran, Riccardo Sottil, Albert Gudmundsson, and Andrea Colpani.

Pietro Comuzzo and Luca Ranieri will play in the central defensive unit, while Yacine Adli and Danilo Cataldi are expected to feature in the central midfield roles. Albert Gudmundsson should be playing in the attacking midfield role, with Riccardo Sottil and Coplani in the wider roles in support of striker Kean.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): de Gea; Dodo, Comuzzo, Ranieri, Gosens; Cataldi, Adli; Colpani, Gudmundsson, Sottil; Kean

Key Stats

  • Juventus have managed to draw 20 Serie A games in 2024.
  • Juventus are undefeated in their last 25 matches in Serie A.
  • Juventus have won 10 of their last 11 home matches against Fiorentina in all competitions.
  • Fiorentina have lost their last two Serie A games.

Player to Watch

Moise Kean

Embed from Getty Images

Dusan Vlahovic will take all the headlines ahead of another game against former side Fiorentina, but this time around, it is a former Juventus striker who could have a point to prove. Moise Kean returns to his old stomping grounds with something to prove to his previous employers, as he will want to help his current side, Fiorentina, in a big way.

The two teams are level on points in the table, as a win will take either of those closer to the top order. Hence, a player like Kean will have a lot at stake coming into this one, as this game promises a battle between the two strikers in equally good form ahead of this crucial fixture.

Prediction

Juventus 1-1 Fiorentina

There is a lot at stake in this match, as the winner could get a chance to stay in the relevant distance with the top order, while the loser could find it very hard going forward to climb back up. In any case, the onus will be on Juventus to perform on home soil, and they will have some bit of momentum following their win over Monza.

Fiorentina might come into this clash on the back of consecutive league defeats, but the team are set to gather themselves for a fighting comeback. They have the squad to mount a challenge on Juventus away from home, but this game has all the hallmarks of an eventful draw. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between Juventus and Fiorentina.

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