Juventus return to Serie A action following an eight-week hiatus, looking to stay on the upward trajectory as they take on warm relegation candidates Cremonese at Stadio Giovanni Zini. Amid a board overhaul, the visitors will have to show mental fortitude to solidify their top-four bid.
Despite reclaiming their top-flight status following a two-decade absence, La Cremo are one of the hottest candidates to drop to Serie B after a thoroughly abysmal league start.
Massimiliano Alvini’s team headed into the World Cup break as the only side in Serie A yet to pick up a single victory in 2022/23 (D7, L8), including a dreadful 2-0 defeat at Empoli on the stroke of the Qatar showpiece.
Considering their wayward 15-game Serie A start, it’s perhaps a bit surprising they languish only six points adrift of safety, but their hopes of securing survival look bleak.
In stark contrast to Cremonese’s massive form woes, Juventus have put their own crisis from the early stage of the season firmly behind them, going from strength to strength before the mid-season pause.
The World Cup break arguably came at the wrong time for Massimiliano Allegri’s men, as they were only beginning to build a head of steam with a six-game winning league run without conceding.
Despite failing to make it out of the Champions League group stages for the first time since 2013/14, the record-time Italian champions can still find some positives this season.
Unlike the ill-fated 2021/22 campaign, where Juventus had to survive a late drama to secure Champions League football, they are now only two points behind second-placed Milan.
Preview
Cremonese
The last three Serie A sides to have gone winless in the opening 15 league matches finished that respective season dead last, so Cremonese must defy history to extend their top-flight adventure beyond 2022/23.
Although that seems an uphill task, Alvini’s men have shown signs of improvement lately, keeping a clean sheet in their last two home league matches, including a scoreless draw with defending champions Milan.
Another draw could be on the cards, even though it’d need to come at long odds, given that La Cremo have shared the spoils with Juventus in four Serie A meetings at the Stadio Giovanni Zini.
Juventus
As the only team in Serie A to have conceded under ten goals this season (7), Juventus have seemingly based their renaissance on a rock-solid defensive set-up.
However, their paltry scoring average of only 1.6 goals per league game remains the elephant in the room, with things looking even worse outside the Allianz Stadium.
Allegri’s lads have netted a meager four goals on their seven Serie A travels this term. That said, after going winless in their first four away league matches (D2, L2), they’ve won the last three in a row via an identical scoreline of 1-0.
Team News
Romanian duo Ionut Radu and Vlad Chiriches still have question marks over their heads, but there’s hope both will return to full fitness in time.
As the second-worst attacking side in Serie A with only 11 goals so far, Cremonese must rely on Cyriel Dessers to hit his stride soon after bagging only two goals before the international break.
In the meantime, Juventus are still without captain Leonardo Bonucci and versatile defender Mattia de Sciglio, though Paul Pogba’s return from a long-term injury looks ever closer.
Allegri won’t be able to summon the Frenchman for Wednesday’s trip, but standout striker Dusan Vlahovic, who leads the club’s scoring charts with six Serie A goals, will return to the fold.
Cremonese vs Juventus Potential Line-ups
Cremonese (3-5-2): Ionut Radu; Jack Hendry, Emanuel Aiwu, Daniel Ciofani; Leonardo Sernicola, Charles Pickel, Santiago Ascacibar, Emanuele Valeri; Cyriel Dessers, David Okereke.
Juventus (3-5-2): Wojciech Szczesny; Gleison Bremer, Danilo, Federico Gatti; Filip Kostic, Adrien Rabiot, Nicoló Fagioli, Fabio Miretti, Juan Cuadrado; Moise Kean, Dusan Vlahovic.
Cremonese vs Juventus Prediction
Though we’re only at the halfway point of the season, Cremonese already need to pull off a miraculous comeback to bolster their hopes of avoiding a swift relegation to Serie B.
It’s almost impossible to expect that road to commence against a resurgent Juventus side, especially given the visitors’ unparalleled defensive strength.
We back the Bianconeri to manage another victory by a slender margin.
Prediction: Juventus Win
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