Out-of-sorts Juventus take a trip to the Stadio Brianteo to take on newly-promoted Monza in a must-win Serie A showdown. Both sides head into proceedings in desperate need of points, albeit for different reasons, which promises a keenly-contested battle in Lombardy.
Monza’s first foray into Italy’s top flight in the club’s 110-year history has been nothing but pain and suffering thus far. Pinned to the foot of the Serie A standings after the opening six matches, the Biancorossi eked out a 1-1 draw away to Lecce last time out to put the first point on the board.
However, after losing the first five league games and reeling off a series of underwhelming performances, Monza sacked Giovanni Stroppa. New head coach Raffaele Palladino is now thrust to turn the newcomers’ top-flight fortunes around and steer them away from the relegation zone.
Palladino could not have asked for a more challenging touchline debut as Monza are about to take on record-time Italian champions Juventus. There is a silver lining, though, as the visitors go into this round amid an abysmal spell of form. In addition to drawing four of their last five Serie A fixtures (W1), the Bianconeri have faltered in Europe.
Following a somewhat expected 2-1 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League group stage opener, Juventus squandered a 1-0 lead in a morale-damaging 2-1 home loss to Benfica in midweek. So it’s no big surprise that Massimiliano Allegri has come under heavy scrutiny, with fans demanding his head on a silver platter.
Match Preview
Monza
Not even Silvio Berlusconi’s magic has been enough to turn Monza into credible Serie A campaigners. Despite the former Milan president’s utmost effort in the summer transfer window, the Biancorossi are still on the lookout for their first-ever Serie A point on home turf. Indeed, they’ve lost all three home league games this term, conceding beyond the hour mark on each occasion.
So it’s needless to talk about the size of the task lying ahead of new head coach Palladino. Now sat into a hot seat, he will be keen to find a way to prevent Monza from becoming the third side in Serie A history to lose their first four home matches. But after winning none of their four historic meetings with Juventus (D2, L2), that could prove easier said than done.
Juventus
Juventus came from a 2-0 halftime deficit to hold Salernitana to a controversial 2-2 home draw last time out. A contentious VAR decision cost the Bianconeri a sensational comeback victory in that fixture. Allegri received a straight red in the dying seconds, meaning he’ll have to observe this clash from the sidelines.
The pressure starts to mount on the experienced tactician as Juventus aim to win their first Serie A outing outside the Allianz Stadium since April! It’s been over a decade since the Turin heavyweights had to wait this long for an away league triumph, emphasising the gravity of the situation ALlegri is currently in.
Monza vs Juventus Potential Line-ups
Monza (3-5-2): Michele Di Gregorio; Marlon, Pablo Marí, Armando Izzo; Samuele Birindelli, Matteo Pessina, Nicolo Rovella, Stefano Sensi, Carlos Augusto; Dany Mota, Gianluca Caprari.
Juventus (3-5-2): Mattia Perin; Leonardo Bonucci, Danilo, Gleison Bremer; Mattia De Sciglio, Leandro Paredes, Weston McKennie, Moise Kean, Filip Kostic; Dusan Vlahovic, Angel Di Maria.