Juventus’ road to redemption following an underwhelming 2020/21 campaign that resulted in a fourth-place finish begins at Dacia Arena against Udinese. Massimiliano Allegri, who returned to the helm after a two-year absence, is confident of clutching the Serie A title away from Inter despite a quiet summer.
Andrea Pirlo managed to fire Juventus into the top four on the final weekend of last season, taking advantage of Napoli’s shocking home slip against Hellas Verona on Matchday 38. However, it wasn’t enough for the former midfielder to extend his stay in Turin, having been sacked earlier in the summer.
Meanwhile, Udinese had another disappointing season in Serie A last term, finishing 12th in the standings following an abysmal form down the final stretch of 2020/21. Poor results, coupled with the high-profile departures of Rodrigo de Paul and Juan Musso, indicate another tough slog is expected this campaign.
Udinese vs Juventus Head-To-Head
Juventus eked out a 2-1 victory the last time the sides met at Dacia Arena, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s quick-fire brace beyond the 80th minute canceling out Udinese’s slender half-time lead.
As a result, the Bianconeri have now won seven of their last eight Serie A encounters against this opposition, with a 2-1 defeat at this venue in July 2020 being the solitary exception.
If football does follow the script, we could be in for a high-scoring affair. Three of the last four top-flight H2Hs held at this venue have seen over 2.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet.
Udinese Preview
Despite returning just two wins from the final 12 Serie A matches of 2020/21, Udinese decided to stick with last season’s manager Luca Gotti.
However, a lack of activity in the transfer market, accompanied by the abovementioned departures of De Paul and Musso, puts Gotti in a tough spot heading into the new season.
Additionally, I Friualani take the field on the back of a six-game unbeaten run in home Serie A games, losing five while drawing one.
A genuine lack of firepower upfront saw Udinese fail to trouble the scoreboard four times during that six-game sequence.
A stalemate is seemingly off the table, though, with the home side drawing just once in their last 11 Serie A openers (W4, L6).
Juventus Preview
After faltering to a dismal fourth-place finish last term, Juventus failed to impress in the transfer window.
Allegri has only managed to secure the services of Manuel Locatelli from Sassuolo. Yet, the Bianconeri continue to pursue a deal for familiar face Miralem Pjanic, who is on the brink of exiting Barcelona.
Juventus closed last season on a run of three consecutive Serie A victories, netting an average of 3.33 goals per game. Delivering action from the get-go, they opened the scoring within 30 minutes on each occasion.
Allegri’s first task will be to plug defensive gaps, as Juventus have failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 14 Serie A outings in a row.
The visitors have won nine of their last ten opening Serie A fixtures, incidentally losing to Udinese in 2015.
Udinese vs Juventus Players to Watch
Nahuel Molina, who opened the scoring in Udinese’ most recent league meeting with Juventus, was on the scoresheet in last week’s Coppa Italia triumph. Despite his scoring prowess, the Argentine is a defender, and stopping Cristiano Ronaldo will bring him under the spotlight on Sunday.
On the other hand, Ronaldo will be keen to shrug off pressure following a turbulent summer and pick up where he left off last season. The 36-year-old finished top of the scoring charts in Italy with 29 goals to his name despite Juventus’ lackluster Serie A campaign.
Udinese vs Juventus Predicted Line-ups
Udinese (3-5-1-1): Marco Silvestri; Rodrigo Becao, Nahuel Molina, Samir; Jens Stryger Larsen, Walace, Jean-Victor Makengo, Tolgay Arslan, Destiny Udogie; Roberto Pereyra; Stefano Okaka.
Juventus(4-3-3): Wojciech Szczesny; Danilo, Matthijs de Ligt, Leonardo Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Rodrigo Bentancur, Aaron Ramsey, Manuel Locatelli; Federico Chiesa, Paulo Dybala, Cristiano Ronaldo.