Sunday’s Serie A action closes out at the Allianz Stadium as Juventus and Salernitana go head-to-head in a top-half encounter. Though just three points separate the sides ahead of the kick-off, there should be a substantial gulf in quality to hand Bianconeri the upper hand here.
It’s not been the best of starts for Juventus as club fans are growing vocal in their bid to accelerate Massimiliano Allegri’s departure. Following a blunt 1-1 draw at Fiorentina last time out, the record-time Serie A champions somewhat expectedly succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain in midweek Champions League action.
A poor record of two wins from five league matches this season (D3) has seen Allegri become a highly unpopular figure in Turin. Any failed attempt to seal all three points against mid-table Salernitana could, therefore, spell the end of his lacklustre second tenure at Juventus. However, the visitors have already proved that they are no pushovers this season.
Davide Nicola’s men have gone unbeaten in four consecutive Serie A games (W1, D3) since a narrow 1-0 home loss to Roma on the opening weekend. Only last weekend, Salernitana drew 2-2 at home with Empoli as summer signing Boulaye Dia took his seasonal tally to three goals, helping his side overturn an early deficit before conceding late.
Match Preview
Juventus
Allegri must be aware his side’s five-game unbeaten Serie A start (W2, D3) has yet to impress the demanding Juventus chiefs. Juve’s underwhelming home form stretching back to last season cannot encourage the Turin faithful either, with Bianconeri only winning three of their seven most recent league outings at the Allianz Stadium (D3, L1).
Though it’s fair to say it’s hardly a solid foundation for their bid to reclaim the Scudetto for the first time since 2019/20, Juventus still have plenty of time to improve. Salernitana’s upcoming visit to Turin could come in handy. Allegri’s lads have won four of their six previous Serie A meetings against Granata (D1, L1), racking up five clean sheets in that span.
For years, Juventus had looked like an unpenetrable team, but their glory days are long gone. Going into this encounter, Leonardo Bonucci and his teammates have only kept one clean sheet in four competitive games. Yet on the bright side, Dusan Vlahovic & Co have found the net within ten minutes of play across their last three Serie A fixtures.
Salernitana
Salernitana have picked themselves up after conceding the opener to register back-to-back Serie A draws in the build-up to this trip. That stands as a testament to the team’s enormous willpower and fighting spirit head coach Nicola has built over the past few months. But they’ll have to play out of their skin to maintain their four-game unbeaten streak.
Worryingly for Salernitana, they have lost all six away matches against sides from Piemonte, conceding an average of 3.5 goals per match. That could change this weekend, with Granata going unbeaten in their last six away league outings (W2, D4), including four consecutive draws ahead of this fixture. With three of them yielding the same 1-1 scoreline, low scoring could be a theme here.
There’s no doubt Salernitana wouldn’t mind another share of the spoils, yet they’ll have to work their socks off to earn it. Indeed, they’ve lost both previous Serie A visits to Juventus via 2+ goals ‘to nil,’ suggesting they have no recipe for Allegri’s set-up.
Team News
Paul Pogba and Federico Chiesa are still well away from returning to the fold, while Angel Di Maria and goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny are both doubts. But Juventus should be safe and sound in the hands of Mattia Perin, who has been nothing short of exceptional of late.
As for Salernitana, Emil Bohinen, Matteo Lovato, Ivan Radovanovic, and club captain Franck Ribery are all expected to stay on the sidelines through injury.
Juventus vs Salernitana Potential Line-ups
Juventus (4-4-2): Mattia Perin; Mattia De Sciglio, Leonardo Bonucci, Daniele Rugani, Alex Sandro; Weston McKennie, Leandro Paredes, Manuel Locatelli, Filip Kostic; Moise Kean, Dusan Vlahovic.
Salernitana (3-5-2): Luigi Sepe; Dylan Bronn, Norbert Gyomber, Federico Fazio; Antonio Candreva, Lassana Coulibaly, Giulio Maggiore, Tonny Vilhena, Pasquale Mazzocchi; Boulaye Dia, Federico Bonazzoli.