Stadio Marc’Anotnio Bentegodi is unlikely to be sold out as early relegation candidates Hellas Verona entertain resurgent Juventus in midweek Serie A action. While neither side cannot be happy about the way they’ve started the 2022/23 season, the visitors should be more optimistic about Thursday’s fixture.
Discouraged on the back of eight consecutive league defeats for the first time in their Serie A history, Verona cannot be enthusiastic about encountering the in-form record-time Italian champions. The club’s decision to relieve underperforming manager Gabriele Cioffi of his duties in mid-October has failed to pay dividends.
Appointing inexperienced Salvatore Bocchetti as a new chief of staff has proved a wrong move, with Verona losing all four league matches under the former defender. Having found themselves propping up the Serie A table after 13 rounds (W1, D2, L10), the Gialloblu have no time to waste if they’re to bolster their hopes of avoiding relegation.
Juventus could be a perfect example to follow. After another abysmal top-flight start, Massimiliano Allegri’s men have hit a purple patch of late, clocking up a four-game winning league streak in the run-up to this travel. The Bianconeri must be full of confidence after claiming a morale-boosting 2-0 Derby d’Italia win over Inter at the weekend.
There’s no room for complacency, though, as a ten-point deficit on table-topping Napoli after 13 rounds reminds the Turin faithful of the club’s faltering in recent years. Adding to this sentiment, an underwhelming three-point haul in the Champions League has hardly worked in Allegri’s favor, with fans still pushing for the Italian manager’s dismissal.
Juventus’ recent renaissance has calmed down the nerves for a while, but Allegri knows he cannot afford to rest on his laurels. With only two matches, including this one, left before the commencement of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the visitors are hellbent on welcoming the upcoming international break within the Serie A top four.
Match Preview
Hellas Verona
There haven’t been many positives in Verona’s otherwise woeful domestic season. A rare reason for optimism is that their solitary top-flight triumph of 2022/23 came at home, courtesy of a 2-1 result over fellow relegation rivals Sampdoria. However, they have found themselves on the wrong side of a 2-1 scoreline in four of their last six league outings.
A complete absence of defensive resilience has seen Verona go all 13 Serie A matches this season without a clean sheet. Then perhaps it’s no major surprise that no team has conceded more league goals than the Gialloblu (26) this term, showing under-pressure Bocchetti where the problem lies.
It’s hard to find consolation these days at the Bentegodi, yet Verona cannot find some courage in their recent top-flight home record against Juventus. The hosts have somewhat surprisingly registered three victories across their last five Serie A meetings with the Turin outfit on home turf (D1, L1).z
Juventus
Rolling into town in high spirits, Juventus must be all too aware Verona have had their number of late. With just one win from their last five top-flight showdowns against the current Serie A basement boys, Allegri’s men will be well advised to take this trip seriously if they’re to strengthen their top-four bid.
Juventus come into this round on the periphery of the Champions League qualification spots, with fourth-placed Atalanta only two points off. Unlike their hosts, the 36-time Italian champions have re-established themselves as a defensive force to be reckoned with this term.
Whether it’s marquee signing Gleison Bremer or veteran captain Leonardo Bonucci, Juventus have been almost impossible to penetrate at the back. In addition to boasting the league-best defensive record of just seven goals conceded after 13 Serie A games, they’ve won their last four top-flight fixtures ‘to nil.’
Hellas Verona vs Juventus Potential Line-ups
Hellas Verona (3-4-2-1): Lorenzo Montipo; Pawel Dawidowicz, Koray Gunter, Federico Ceccherini; Fabio Depaoli, Miguel Veloso, Adrien Tameze, Josh Doig; Yayah Kallon, Darko Lazovic; Thomas Henry.
Juventus (3-5-1-1): Wojciech Sczesny; Danilo, Gleison Bremer, Alex Sandro; Juan Cuadrado, Nicolo Fagioli, Manuel Locatelli, Adrien Rabiot, Filip Kostic; Fabio Miretti; Arkadiusz Milik.