Allianz Stadium is the venue as a resurgent Juventus side take on Roma in a mouth-watering Serie A showdown on Sunday night. It’s time to preview the game and take a look at the expected lineups.
Juventus’ form trajectory has taken an upward curve following a frustrating start to the season. The hosts will look to build upon a hard-earned 1-0 win over Torino in the Derby della Molle last time out as they hope to return in contention for a top-four finish.
Meanwhile, Roma have blown hot and cold lately after an impressive start, though they can draw confidence from easing past Empoli 2-0 in their most recent Serie A outing.
Juventus vs Roma Head-to-Head
Cristiano Ronaldo’s first-half strike and Roger Ibanez’s follow-up own goal handed Juventus a 2-0 win in their most recent Serie A meeting with Roma back in February. As a result, the Bianconeri could now post back-to-back league triumphs over this opposition for the first time since 2016 when Massimiliano Allegri was at the helm.
Juventus have racked up a resounding nine victories in their ten Serie A fixtures against Roma at the Allianz Stadium, barring a 3-1 defeat in August 2020. The Giallorossi could become the first team to lose ten matches at the venue that hosted its first game in 2011.
It comes as no surprise that the record-time Italian champions head into proceedings as favorites to wrap up all three points as only against Inter Milan (85) have they won more Serie A clashes than against Roma (83). Moreover, Juventus have only scored more top-flight goals against Lazio (275) than against their visitors (269).
Juventus Form Preview
Juventus have bounced back from an underwhelming start to the season, going from a four-match winless Serie A streak (D2, L2) to racking up three consecutive league triumphs. Yet, it’s been a while since the Bianconeri won four Serie A fixtures on the trot, last doing so in July 2020.
The home side’s notable upturn in form has seen them come to within a mere four points of fourth-placed Roma, meaning a victory here would see them make a decisive step towards breaking into the top four. But Allegri laments his worst win percentage against Roma (35%), having won only seven of his 20 managerial Serie A duels with this opposition.
Juventus’ 1-0 away victory over Torino last time out marked their first Serie A clean sheet since late February, halting a run of 20 straight league fixtures without a shutout. However, the hosts haven’t kept a single blank sheet in three Serie A games at home this season and could fail to do it in their first four home matches of a new top-flight campaign for the second time in the last 36 years.
A brace of 3-2 wins over Spezia and Sampdoria in late September has seen Juventus improve their paltry goalscoring return this season. They have bagged an average of just 1.00 goals per game across their remaining five league outings this term.
Particularly prolific before half-time, Allegri’s men have registered three of their four Serie A goals scored at home this term in the first half of play.
Player to watch: Federico Chiesa
Following an outstanding Euro 2020 campaign, Federico Chiesa has experienced a slightly disappointing Serie A start by his high standards. The Italian winger has tallied one goal and one assist across six top-flight appearances so far.
After failing to score in any of his six Serie A matches against Roma, Chiesa will be desperate to get off the mark on Sunday.
Roma Form Preview
Jose Mourinho had got his Roma adventure off to a flying start, winning his first three Serie A fixtures in charge of the Giallorossi by an aggregate score of 9-2. However, a lack of consistency of late has seen the capital-based outfit alternate between a victory (2) and a defeat (2) across their last four league matches.
And while they’ve won all four Serie A games at the Stadio Olimpico under Mourinho, Roma have struggled to translate that form on hostile turf, losing two of their three league trips this term (W1). Back-to-back 3-2 away reverses against Hellas Verona and Lazio may lower the spirits in the traveling camp.
However, Roma’s free-scoring away form could inspire the visitors’ hopes of picking up their first Serie A win on the road since late August. Mourinho’s men have netted 2+ goals in all three league trips this season, averaging 2.66 goals per match in the process.
Worryingly, though, the Giallorossi have already suffered nine Serie A defeats away from home in 2021. Another failure here would see them lose ten top-flight games on the foreign ground in a single calendar year for the first time since 2012.
Player to watch: Lorenzo Pellegrini
Roma captain Lorenzo Pellegrini has started to produce goods regularly since shifting closer to the opposition goal, clocking up five goals in his last seven appearances for club and country. Additionally, the 25-year-old has tallied a staggering seven goals from ten competitive outings for Roma this term.
Like his Juventus counterpart Chiesa, the illustrious playmaker will seek his first Serie A goal against the Bianconeri after eight failed attempts.
Juventus vs Roma Predicted Line-ups
Juventus (4-4-2): Wojciech Szczesny; Danilo, Leonardo Bonucci, Matthijs de Ligt, Alex Sandro; Juan Cuadrado, Rodrigo Bentancur, Manuel Locatelli, Federico Bernardeschi; Federico Chiesa, Moise Kean.
Roma (4-2-3-1): Rui Patricio; Rick Karsdorp, Gianluca Mancini, Roger Ibanez, Matias Vina; Bryan Cristante, Jordan Veretout; Nicolo Zaniolo, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Henrikh Mkhitaryan; Eldor Shomurodov.