Juventus’ life after Cristiano Ronaldo kicks off on Saturday evening as newly-promoted Empoli arrive at the Allianz Stadium. After starting their new Serie A campaign with a whimper rather than a bang, the Bianconeri will be desperate to bounce back against out-of-sorts visitors.
A dismal fourth-place finish in 2020/21 has probably played a pivotal role in Ronaldo’s decision to cut his three-year career in Turin short in the final days of the transfer window. Without the scoring prowess of the Portuguese ace these days, Juventus will have to find a new source of goals to avoid another underwhelming season.
Meanwhile, tipped for a season-long dogfight against the drop, the visitors are seeking a miracle as they hope to dodge another swift relegation.
Juventus vs Empoli Head-to-Head
Heading into proceedings as overwhelming favorites to claim all three points, Juventus boast an almost perfect record across their 12 overall home Serie A matches against Empoli (W11, D1).
In addition to winning seven consecutive top-flight home showdowns against this opposition since a goalless draw in November 1998, the Bianconeri have kept a clean sheet in the last four in a row. Yet, low scoring was a common theme in that four-game sequence, with each fixture featuring two goals or less.
In fact, Juventus enjoy a better 79% win ratio in their Serie A encounters versus Empoli than against any other side currently in the top-flight.
Juventus Preview
Massimiliano Allegri’s second stint in Turin has begun in an entertaining, albeit frustrating fashion for Juventus fans as the Bianconeri squandered a 2-0 half-time lead at Udinese to draw 2-2 on the opening weekend.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who saw his 94th-minute winner canceled out by the VAR, left the Allianz Stadium to re-sign for Manchester United on Friday, putting an end to his three-year spell in Serie A.
The Portuguese star’s absence might not necessarily spell trouble on the hosts here, especially considering Paulo Dybala’s showing last time out. After scoring and assisting on Matchday 1, the 27-year-old Argentine will spearhead Juve’s attack on Saturday.
Scoring might not be the problem for the record-time Serie A champions as much as a leaky backline that has failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last 15 league matches. Juventus have conceded in more consecutive Serie A games only twice in their top-flight history.
If they somehow end up losing here, it will be the first time in the 21st century that Juventus have lost back-to-back league encounters against promoted sides. That said, they have managed to shut such opposition out in four of their last five top-flight fixtures.
Empoli Preview
Despite getting on the scoresheet four minutes into their returning Serie A campaign, Empoli succumbed to a 3-1 home loss to Lazio on the opening weekend. Curiously, all four goals in that match came before half-time, with two arriving within six minutes of play, highlighting the potential for the action-packed first half.
Empoli’s Matchday 1 failure could summon some traumatic memories from the past. The last four times ‘Gli Azzurri’ slumped to an opening day defeat, they went on to suffer another one on the following weekend.
Although they look unlikely to beat Juventus at long odds here, Empoli can hardly do worse on the road than during their last Serie A stint. Indeed, they managed just a single win from 19 top-flight trips in 2018/19 (D5, L13), which resulted in immediate relegation.
Perhaps justifiably seen as relegation front-runners, Empoli will have to upset the odds to halt a run of two successive away league defeats without scoring.
Unfortunately, they will need to buck another trend if they are to stay unbeaten here. Empoli meet a Juventus side that have defied a -1 handicap in four of their last five home Serie A meetings with promoted teams.
Juventus vs Empoli Players to Watch
With the abovementioned exit of Cristiano Ronaldo, Allegri will likely have to put Juventus’ fate into the hands of resurgent Paulo Dybala. After two torrid seasons, the ex-Palermo star looked more like his former self against Udinese last time out and will be keen to build upon his impressive inaugural display.
As for Empoli, Patrick Cutrone failed to leave his mark on the opening day of the season. However, the Milan youth academy graduate could be a genuine threat here. The 23-year-old striker aims to revive his career after arriving from Wolverhampton on a season-long loan in the summer.
Juventus vs Empoli Predicted Line-ups
Juventus (4-4-2): Wojceich Szczesny; Danilo, Matthijs de Ligt, Leonardo Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Juan Cuadrado; Rodrigo Bentancur, Manuel Locatelli, Federico Bernadeschi; Alvaro Morata, Paulo Dybala.
Empoli (4-3-2-1): Guglielmo Vicario; Petar Stojanovic, Ardian Ismajili, Simone Romagnoli, Riccardo Marchizza; Samuele Ricci, Liam Henderson, Filippo Bandinelli; Nedim Bajrami, Andrea Pinamonti; Patrick Cutrone.