Juventus vs Udinese Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Juventus:
Szczesny; Danilo, De Ligt, Bonucci, Sandro; Chiesa, Bentancur, Rabiot, Ramsey; Morata, Ronaldo
Udinese:
Musso; Bonifazi, De Maio, Samir; Larsen, De Paul, Walace, Pereyra, Zeegelaar; Pussetto, Lasagna
Juventus host Udinese in Turin in the last Sunday's fixture. The Old Lady have collected 24 points, 10 less than leaders AC Milan. The last week of 2020 was awful for the reigning champions. It could be noted they lost six points. First about the match with Napoli. The derby was originally scheduled for October 4, but Napoli did not travel to Turin for the fixture and match was registered with an automatic 3:0 victory for Juventus, while Napoli received one-point penalty. According to the FIGC, Napoli did not have a valid reason for missing the fixture and should have followed the existing 'Coronavirus protocol', which was accepted by all clubs before the season. The Italian league's protocol is the same as UEFA rules. If a team has 13 available players, including at least one goalkeeper, the match can be played. Napoli at the time had just two players (Piotr Zielinski and Eljif Elmas) tested positive for coronavirus, but argued it had been ordered not to travel by the local health authority. The Vesuvians saw two previous appeals rejected, but took their case to the CONI (Italian Olympic Committee) Sports Guarantee Board. Their decision was in favour of Napoli, so the match will have to be replayed and the point penalty is revoked. At the same time it means Juventus lost three points and dropped at the table. In addition, they lost the ultimate match in 2020. It was a painful defeat, they lost 0:3 at home to Fiorentina. The match was decided early in the first half when referee La Penna had no choice after checking VAR but to send Juan Cuadrado off. Since that moment Juve were inferior and Fiorentina scored three goals to secure the victory. Coach Andrea Pirlo is under big pressure, not only for the last defeat. The overall record of six wins, six draws and one defeat is not good enough and the fans are disappointed. That is why this match is extremely important. Pirlo is missing the suspended Cuadrado, as well as the injured Arthur. On the positive note, Giorgio Chiellini is available after thigh injury.
Udinese are in the middle of the table with 15 points. They are five points away from the drop zone, so there is no space for any relaxation. The Zebrette have a game in hand on most of their rivals, after a fixture against Atalanta was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. Nevertheless, nobody could guarantee positive result in a match against Champions League participants. The actual form is not bad at all, they have just one defeat on the last seven matches, a series that also includes a 3:1 win over Lazio at Stadio Olimpico. However, the lone defeat came in the last round following the draws against struggling Cagliari and Crotone. Udinese suffered a 2:0 defeat to newly-promoted Benevento. Even more as the defeat came at Stadio Friuli in Udine. Gianluca Caprari’s daisy-cutter and a remarkable Gaetano Letizia's strike from the tightest of angles managed to seal the win. Udinese were generally poor, although had 64% possession and missed one good opportunity. Rodrigo De Paul had the best chance when hit the bar late on during the stoppage time. The defeat surely spoiled the atmosphere in the squad ahead of the trip to Turin. The match against the reigning champions is the toughest challenge for Luca Gotti's men. They must improve the attack as 14 scored goals means an average of 1.07 goals per game. Just for comparison, the bottom-placed Torino have scored 22 goals. At the same time, the defense is more than solid. Udinese have the fourth-best defensive record in Serie A, with 17 conceded goals so far. Only three teams - Juventus, Napoli and Verona - have conceded less. Coach Gotti has some injury and suspension worries ahead of this match. Striker Stefano Okaka is sidelined with a thigh injury, while regular defender Rodrigo Becao is suspended. Three more players remain out injured - Mato Jajalo, Nahuel Molina and Bram Nuytinck. Gerard Deulofeu has recovered and could feature from the bench. Winger Thomas Ouwejan is now fit after recovered from Coronavirus infection.
Juventus vs Udinese Prediction:
Both teams lost in the previous round, so the question is who will recover faster. I think Juventus. The reigning champions have top-class players able to make a difference in a match like this - Cristiano Ronaldo, Alvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala. Juventus won the last three mutual games in Turin, all of them with at least two-goal difference. Last season the Old Lady won twice: 3:1 (15.12.2019) in Serie A and 4:0 (15.01.2020) in Coppa Italia. I expect another clear victory for the reigning champions.
Juventus vs Udinese Pick: Juventus -1.5 AH @ 2.33 with
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