Saturday’s Serie A fixtures conclude with Juventus vs Verona in Turin and the Bianconeri are looking to record their third straight victory in the league as they host Marco Zaffaroni’s Gialloblu. Verona are without a win in five and are set to battle it out down in the relegation zone for the remainder of the campaign.
Juve were victorious in the Derby d’Italia against Inter in their previous match, picking up a narrow 1-0 win thanks to a goal from Filip Kostic. That victory extended the Bianconeri’s run to four consecutive wins in all competitions as they continue to fight for Champions League qualification.
However, for Verona, they suffered a 3-1 defeat away to fellow relegation rivals Sampdoria last time out. The loss leaves them just four points ahead of Dejan Stankovic’s Blucerchiati and five points behind Spezia in 17th. All is not yet lost for their Serie A survival but Verona must start picking up more points and fast.
The visitors have failed to earn all three points whenever they’ve played Juventus away from home, losing four out of their last five matches in Turin. However, they did manage to record a 1-1 draw in 2020 – the last time they got a result at the Allianz Stadium.
Preview
Juventus
Massimiliano Allegri’s fightback with Juve continues as they resume their battle against the 15-point penalty handed to them earlier this season. The Bianconeri are still confident of finishing in the top four whether they get the points back or not, with them currently sitting seven points behind fourth-placed Milan. The Old Lady last lost at home back in January in a 2-0 loss against Monza but are currently on a six-match unbeaten streak at the Allianz Stadium.
Juventus have suffered just one defeat in their last 12 matches in all competitions and even if they are unable to catch up to the rest of the pack in Serie A, they also have the possibility of winning the Europa League and will face Sporting CP next in the quarter-finals. However, the focus is now on the league and they are very much expected to triumph over Verona at a sold-out Allianz Stadium on Saturday evening, especially since they have never suffered a defeat at home to the Venetians.
Player to Watch: Dusan Vlahovic
The Serbian forward is yet to really hit the ground running with Juve like he did with Fiorentina. Rumours have been circulating that the 23-year-old could leave Turin in the summer, especially if they fail to qualify for the Champions League. Nevertheless, after scoring three goals in two games on recent national team service, Vlahovic will be hoping to carry on that run of form back in Italy to help his side finish the campaign strongly.
Verona
Just one victory in Serie A through their opening 15 games left Verona bottom of the table to conclude 2022. However, ever since the appointment of Zaffaroni, there is some hope that the club can pull off an unlikely escape. The 54-year-old coach led the Gialloblu to just one defeat in seven in the league to begin 2023 but they have failed to win any of their last five and chances of survival are looking bleak.
Nevertheless, there are still 11 matches to go and Verona will have their sights on trying to reach Spezia. A result away to Juventus would put them in great stead after the return from the international break and they will be looking to 2021’s 2-1 home victory against the Bianconeri as a source of inspiration. However, it certainly seems unlikely that they will be able to pull off an upset here since they have failed to register a single win on their travels so far this term.
Player to Watch: Darko Lazovic
Lazovic has been the only real source of inspiration for Verona so far this season and is their top goalscorer with a measly three goals. However, all three of those goals have come since the turn of the year, despite his last one coming back in January in 2-0 win over Lecce. The 32-year-old has also recorded three assists in Serie A though and he is expected to be the man to make something happen if the Gialloblu are able to pull off a shock upset.
Bianconeri ? at base ? pic.twitter.com/ejuau9kFWq
— JuventusFC ???? (@juventusfcen) March 30, 2023
Team News
Leandro Paredes and Adrien Rabiot will miss out due to suspension in what is a big blow in the middle of the park for Juventus. Arkadiusz Milik is set to return after a lengthy lay off that has seen his miss the last 12 matches. Fellow forward Moise Kean will also return after serving his two-match ban. Federico Chiesa is in doubt, nevertheless, and despite him being able to train individually, Allegri is set to make the decision whether to include him in the squad nearer to the game.
However, French midfielder Paul Pogba is still to remain on the sidelines due to a knee injury and he has featured just twice off the bench for Juve so far this term. Alex Sandro and Fabio Miretti have also been out of late but they have returned to training and will likely feature.
French forward Thomas Henry will remain out for Verona after he suffered a ruptured ACL in January. Midfielder Ajdin Hrustic had to undergo surgery back in January to fix problems with his ankle ligaments and he has yet to feature since so is unlikely to play here. Belgian midfielder Cyril Ngonge has missed the last two matches for the visitors so remains a doubt.
Juventus vs Verona Potential Lineups
Juventus (3-5-1-1): Wojciech Szczesny; Bremer, Federico Gatti, Danilo; Juan Cuadrado, Nicolo Fagioli, Manuel Locatelli, Fabio Miretti, Filip Kostic; Angel Di Maria; Dusan Vlahovic
Verona (3-4-2-1): Lorenzo Montipo; Pawel Dawidowicz, Giangiacomo Magnani, Diego Coppola; Davide Faraoni, Adrien Tameze, Ondrej Duda, Josh Doig; Darko Lazovic, Jayden Braaf; Adolfo Gaich
Juventus vs Verona Prediction
It seems like this will be a far too big of a task for Verona and Juventus are by far the favorites to come away with all three points. We can’t see anything but the Bianconeri extending their winning streak to five games.
Prediction: Juventus Win