Juventus and Fiorentina are set to square off at the Allianz Stadium in a must-win Serie A fixture for the home side. It’s time to preview the game and take a look at the expected lineups.
Juventus defeated Zenit St Petersburg 4-2 in a goal-friendly Champions League fixture in midweek, helping their fans forget about the team’s ongoing domestic struggle at least briefly. Massimilano Allegri’s men will be desperate to build on their European form as they risk falling out of the top-four pace, let alone the title race.
As for Fiorentina, despite their topsy-turvy beginning of the season, they are still very much in contention for a long-awaited top-four finish. La Viola hover just a single point adrift of fourth-placed ahead of this round and are set to take on Juventus sitting above them in the standings for the first time in years.
Juventus vs Fiorentina Head-to-Head
Fiorentina held Juventus winless in both last season’s Serie A meetings (W1, D1), including an overwhelming 3-0 victory in this exact fixture back in December 2020. Interestingly, that success represents one of La Viola’s mere seven top-flight triumphs in Turin, where they have yet to win back-to-back matches.
What’s more, last season’s heroics present the Florence outfit with a prime opportunity to go three consecutive top-flight H2Hs without losing for the first time since 2008. However, a run of nine successive Serie A defeats in Turin prior to last season’s stunning win douses any embers of optimism in the traveling camp regarding another potential upset.
Regardless of which side of the spectrum of supporting these sides you stand on, brace yourself for an entertaining, high-scoring contest. Six of the last seven Serie A encounters between Juventus and Fiorentina in Turin have produced over 2.5 overall goals, highlighting the potential for an action-packed affair.
Juventus Form Preview
Many had thought Allegri’s return to the helm would help Juventus establish a much-needed consistency and fight their way back into the title race following a thoroughly disappointing 2020/21 campaign under Andrea Pirlo. The reality has turned out to be quite the opposite thus far, with the Bianconeri continuing to perform in patches, as was the case last season.
Juventus bounced back from a sluggish four-match winless start to this Serie A season (D2, L2), putting together four straight league victories between mid-September and mid-October. However, another rough patch has hindered Juve’s momentum as they take the field winless in their last three top-flight games (D1, L2).
A brace of 2-1 defeats to Sassuolo and Hellas Verona in the last two rounds puts Juventus at risk of losing three Serie A fixtures on the trot for the first time since March 2011. Another failed attempt to pick up all three points here would see the record-time Italian champions register their worst-ever start to a new top-flight campaign in a three-point-per-win era.
Player to watch: Paulo Dybala
Paulo Dybala has regained his household status in Turin following Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United. The Argentine forward has had his hand in 40% of Juventus’ total Serie A goals scored this season (6/15).
Juve will need their talisman to put his scoring prowess on full display on Saturday and defy his personal struggle against Fiorentina. Indeed, the 27-year-old has made his joint-fewest goal contribution against this opponent in Serie A, registering just two goals and one assist in 11 matches against them.
Fiorentina Form Preview
Fiorentina have been nothing if not inconsistent in Serie A so far, which casts doubt on their ability to inflict another shock on Juventus. Following Empoli’s 2-2 home stalemate with Genoa last night, La Viola are now the only Serie A side yet to draw a league match this season (W6, L5).
Vincenzo Italiano’s men have alternated between winning and losing across their last four Serie A outings (W2, L2), further underlining their form wobble. Both Fiorentina’s wins in that four-game run yielded a 3-0 scoreline, while each defeat came by 1-0, highlighting the importance of drawing first blood.
After winning their opening three Serie A away matches of the season, the visitors have suffered back-to-back 1-0 defeats on the road. Those failures tie in well with Fiorentina’s habit of keeping their road fixtures highly competitive, as their five league travels this season have all been decided by a narrow one-goal margin.
Player to watch: Dusan Vlahovic
Dusan Vlahovic has carried his predatory form from last season into the new one, tallying eight goals in 11 Serie A appearances already. Considering the Serbian striker as Fiorentina’s main threat moving forward is a no-brainer at this point.
Vlahovic has scored a staggering 25 Serie A goals this calendar year, at least five more than any other player in the competition. Curiously, he alone has netted more goals than Alvaro Morata, Federico Chiesa, and Dybala all combined in that span.
Juventus vs Fiorentina Predicted Line-ups
Juventus (4-4-2): Wojciech Szczesny; Danilo, Leonardo Bonucci, Matthijs de Ligt, Alex Sandro; Federico Bernardeschi, Weston McKennie, Manuel Locatelli, Federico Chiesa; Alvaro Morata, Paulo Dybala.
Fiorentina (4-3-3): Pietro Terracciano; Lorenzo Venuti, Nikola Milenkovic, Lucas Martinez Quarta, Cristiano Biraghi; Giacomo Bonaventura, Lucas Torreira, Gaetano Castrovilli; Riccardo Sottil, Dusan Vlahovic, Riccardo Saponara.