Serie A Gameweek 21 rounds off at the Stadio Arechi with a bottom-half clash between Salernitana and Juventus on Tuesday night. Following a 15-point deduction in January, the visitors come into this fixture only two points clear of their 16th-placed hosts.
It took them a while, but Salernitana finally made it last weekend as they eked out a 2-1 win at newly-promoted Lecce to register their first league triumph since the end of October. After arresting an underwhelming run of seven consecutive Serie A matches without winning (D2, L5), Davide Nicola may have handed his stuttering managerial career in Salerno a lifeline.
But the fears of being sucked back into the relegation fight have not yet passed, even though Salernitana started this round eight points clear of 18th-placed Hellas Verona. The league’s worst defending record of 38 goals has everything to do with those suspicions, as the hosts hope to tighten things up in the second half of the season.
If there’s a side they could learn some defensive tricks from, it’s visiting Juventus. But the visitors’ off-field misdoings have undone the league’s third-best defensive tally of only 17 goals conceded, practically ruling them out of the race for European placings. With 15 points separating them from sixth-placed Atalanta, there’s plenty of ground to cover.
Unfortunately for head coach Massimiliano Allegri, time is not his friend, more so after Serie A debutants Monza conquered Turin last weekend. Juventus at least did well to recover from that disheartening 2-0 defeat by beating Lazio 1-0 in midweek Coppa Italia action to book a place in the semi-finals for the fourth season in a row.
Preview
Salernitana
Following the abovementioned success at Lecce, Salernitana could win back-to-back games in Serie A for the first time since October. However, their indifferent home league form cannot inspire much confidence (W3, D3, L4), and neither can the fact they’ve yet to win here against sides starting this round above them in the standings.
Speaking of ominous signs, Salernitana have pulled off just one win in their seven previous Serie A encounters against Juventus (D2, L4), beating them 1-0 at home in 1999. Back to the present day, Nicola’s men head into proceedings having alternated between drawing and losing in their last four league outings at Arechi (D2, L2).
Player to Watch: Boulaye Dia
In addition to putting on a massive performance at the Allianz Stadium in the reverse fixture, Boulaye Dia has been on a tear lately, racking up two goals and two assists in his last three Serie A appearances. With 12 goal contributions to his name this term, the Senegalese forward is the one to keep an eye on this midweek.
Juventus
Distracted by growing off-field turmoil, Juventus have endured a massive dip in form in the lead-up to this clash. After winning eight straight league games without conceding, they have picked up just one point across their last three top-flight assignments (D1, L2), letting in a whopping ten goals in that stretch.
Juventus will still carry a favorite tag into this contest after recording four clean sheets in as many league meetings with sides starting this matchday below them in the table (W3, D1). Considering they ran out 2-0 victors in this corresponding fixture last season, another shutout may be on the cards.
Player to Watch: Dusan Vlahovic
A lengthy spell on the sidelines took its toll as Dusan Vlahovic looked rusty against Lazio on Thursday. However, the Serbian striker is about to make his first Serie A start since October, and there’s no doubt he’ll be keen to paint it with flying colors.
Team News
Nicola’s first-choice center-backs Federico Fazio and Norbert Gyomber are still out with injuries. But there’s an outside chance that Pasquale Mazzocchi and Giulio Maggiore could still make the bench despite dealing with minor fitness issues.
Tuesday’s fixture will come too soon for long-term absentee Paul Pogba, while Arkadiusz Milik might join him on the sidelines after picking up a thigh issue. Juventus are still sweating over long-serving defender Leonardo Bonucci, who faces a race against time to make the cut.
Salernitana vs Juventus Potential Lineups
Salernitana (4-3-3): Guillermo Ochoa; Domagoj Bradaric, Dylann Bronn, William Troos-Ekong, Junior Sambia; Tonny Vilhena, Emil Bohinen, Lassana Coulibaly; Antonio Candreva, Boulaye Dia, Krzysztof Piatek.
Juventus (3-5-2): Wojciech Szczesny; Alex Sandro, Gleison Bremer, Danilo; Juan Cuadrado, Manuel Locatelli, Nicolo Fagioli, Adrien Rabiot, Filip Kostic; Angel Di Maria, Dusan Vlahovic.
Salernitana vs Juventus Prediction
Despite being the embodiment of inconsistency throughout the season, Salernitana are more than capable of causing problems to any Serie A side at home. If a controversial draw in the reverse fixture is anything to go by, Juventus will get a run for their money.
While we’d restrain from going as far as to back Nicola’s side to win all three points, another share of the spoils wouldn’t surprise us.
Prediction: Draw
 |
Follow us on Google News for more updates on Serie A and Italian football |