Inspired by a mini-revival, Juventus will be looking to maintain recovery following a 15-point deduction against Fiorentina on Sunday. The Allianz Stadium faithful have already lost hope of securing European football following a severe punishment for ‘financial irregularities.’
However, Juventus still believe in their chances of closing a staggering 12-point gap on sixth-placed Atalanta, especially in light of recent events. Star striker Dusan Vlahovic returned to the scoresheet for the first time since October with a match-winning brace, firing the Bianconeri to a comfortable 3-0 win at bottom-half strugglers Salernitana in midweek.
In addition to bagging a double, Vlahovic delivered an assist to Filip Kostic in a thumping victory in Campania, ending his side’s abysmal three-game winless league streak (D1, L2). Before getting back to winning ways in Serie A, Juventus locked down a place in the Coppa Italia semi-finals with a narrow 1-0 home win over Lazio.
While Massimiliano Allegri’s men seem to be building a head of steam following a rough patch, visiting Fiorentina cannot catch a break these days. Since a dramatic 2-1 home triumph over Sassuolo in early January, Vincenzo Italiano’s charges have gone winless in four straight league outings (D1, L3).
Despite fighting back to cancel out Bologna’s early opener, Fiorentina suffered an underwhelming 2-1 home loss to the Rossoblu last weekend, casting doubt on Italiano’s long-term future at Artemio Franchi. Sunday’s trip to Turin couldn’t have come at a worse moment for La Viola, who are seemingly heading to the lower reaches.
Preview
Juventus
After going unbeaten in their first ten home matches in Serie A this season (W7, D3), Juventus slipped to a woeful 2-0 defeat to top-flight debutants Monza in their last home league outing. Moreover, Allegri’s men are winless in consecutive top-flight games in Turin (D1, L1) and are at risk of making it three in a row for the first time since 2015.
There’s no reason to panic, though, as Allegri has Fiorentina’s number, as witnessed by his 100% win ratio across six home league meetings with La Viola. Against this backdrop, Juventus have been victorious in just one of their last five Serie A encounters against this opposition (D2, L2), courtesy of a slim 1-0 win in this corresponding fixture in 2021/22.
Player to Watch: Dusan Vlahovic
After halting a four-month scoring drought in Serie A, Vlahovic is eyeing up his first goal against his former side after three failed attempts. Four of the Serb’s last five league goals have come after halftime, so he may have to be patient.
Fiorentina
With only three teams picking up fewer points than Fiorentina (five) in 2023, the skepticism among traveling fans is not unfounded. It gets worse as Italiano’s men have failed to win any of their last three league games on the road (D1, L2), scoring under 1.5 goals on each occasion.
Avoiding another disappointment is an unlikely prospect, with Fiorentina suffering as many as ten defeats in their last 11 top-flight visits to Juventus (W1). On top of that dreadful run in Turin, the visitors have won none of their eight away league encounters against teams starting this round outside the bottom four (D3, L5).
Player to Watch: Riccardo Saponara
Riccardo Saponara may seem like a surprise choice, yet the midfield dynamo has been on a tear lately, netting twice in his last four Serie A appearances. He will also have an added motive, having lost eight of his nine outings against Juventus (W1).
Team News
Fabio Miretti picked up a nasty-looking ankle injury against Salernitana, joining long-term Juventus absentees Paul Pogba and Leonardo Bonucci on the sidelines. Arkadiusz Milik is another first-team star out of contention for this fixture.
As for Fiorentina, Gaetano Castrovilli and Riccardo Sottil are the only players missing out this weekend.
Juventus vs Fiorentina Potential Lineups
Juventus (3-5-2): Wojciech Szczesny; Danilo, Gleison Bremer, Alex Sandro; Mattia De Sciglio, Nicolo Fagioli, Manuel Locatelli, Adrien Rabiot, Filip Kostic; Angel Di Maria, Dusan Vlahovic.
Fiorentina (4-3-3): Pietro Terracciano; Dodo, Nikola Milenkovic, Lucas Martinez Quarta, Cristiano Biraghi; Giacomo Bonaventura, Sofyan Amrabat, Antonin Barak; Nicolas Gonzalez, Luka Jovic, Christian Kouame.
Juventus vs Fiorentina Prediction
Juventus have shown signs of improvement following a troublesome period, and we back them to pour more misery on Fiorentina’s wasteful patch.
Prediction: Juventus Win
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