Juventus will look to return to winning ways when they host Udinese in the Serie A. After losing to Scudetto rivals Inter Milan, Juventus made their way back to Turin, but Monza kept the Friulani, who are known for their ability to draw, scoreless.
Preview (Juventus vs. Udinese)
Juventus’ seven-match winning streak came to an end at the end of January after they dropped points for the first time this year in a 1-1 home draw with Empoli. Their first encounter of February then brought just their second Serie A loss of the year. Federico Gatti’s own goal in the first half of the game decided Inter’s top-of-the-table Derby d’Italia at San Siro, giving the Nerazzurri a four-point lead. Since then, that benefit has increased to seven. Thus, Juve has only managed one point from their previous two games after winning five straight league games.
Due to his club’s European ban, head coach Max Allegri—who will now take over for Marco Lippi after 405 games in charge of Juventus, tied for second place all-time behind Giovanni Trapattoni (596)—has been free to give Serie A priority this season. But they have a massive challenge ahead of them to turn around Inter, so they need to win on Monday. Not only have they won four straight league games without giving up a goal against their rival Bianconeri. It has been almost eight years since Juventus last dropped a point in this comparable match.
In addition to losing their season opener 3-0 at home to Juventus, Udinese had failed to win on all seven of their previous trips to the Allianz Stadium. The likelihood of an upset this time around is also low because of Gabriele Cioffi’s faltering team. The Friulani have drawn 13 times in the league this season. Only once in their top-flight history have they recorded more at this point in a campaign. With just two victories to their name thus far, the Bianconeri are heavy favorites to lose on Monday night. Their pitiful 19 points from 23 games ties their lowest total this century.
Team News
After notching five goals in his last four games, Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic may be forced to miss Monday’s encounter with a thigh ailment, perhaps joining Mattia De Sciglio, Moise Kean, and backup goalkeeper Mattia Perin on the sidelines. The second probable alteration to Max Allegri’s starting lineup is the inclusion of fellow Brazilian Alex Sandro. Arkadiusz Milik and Federico Chiesa will compete for a promotion from the bench as Vlahovic is doubtful. Due to physical concerns and the rise of Turkish prodigy Kenan Yildiz, the latter has not started any of Juve’s last seven Serie A games despite scoring in both of the team’s previous two meetings with Udinese.
Due to a one-match suspension for many bookings, Udinese captain Roberto Pereyra will not be traveling to his old team. Joao Ferreira or Kingsley Ehizibue will likely start on the right wing in his place. Gerard Deulofeu, Kaká Bijol, and Enzo Ebosse are still out. Lazar Samardzic, a Juve transfer target, is good to go in the visiting team’s engine room. This season in Serie A, the Serbian international leads all midfielders with at least 30 shots, 30 created chances, and 30 successful dribbles.
Juventus 2-0 Udinese
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