Juventus have spent a lot of this season in disaster however the apparently ailing “Previous Girl” of Italian soccer has an incredible probability of coming into the Serie A title race towards Atalanta on Sunday evening.
5 league wins on the bounce have pushed Juve to inside six factors of league leaders Inter Milan, with Thiago Motta’s fourth-placed workforce creeping in direction of the summit simply as followers launched protests towards the gamers and coach.
Monday evening’s 2-0 win over Verona was preceded by livid followers barracking the workforce of their pre-match lodge, the place they have been staying as punishment for being dumped out of the Italian Cup by lowly Empoli.
The way of that defeat, to a workforce sat in Serie A’s relegation zone and with a raft of first-choice gamers out injured, sparked fury amongst supporters who had already watched their workforce get knocked out of the Champions League within the play-offs by collapsing at PSV Eindhoven.
Followers additionally hung banners by the doorway to the Allianz Stadium in Turin questioning the gamers’ dedication, saying that they “ought to play in yellow” somewhat than black and white.
And so they have been booed off at half-time on Monday, with Juve stage solely as a result of Tomas Suslov’s rocket of a shot was disallowed as a consequence of Davide Faraoni straying offside within the build-up to what would have been a beautiful opening objective.
However within the league, Juve have gone from draw specialists to successful machine although Motta hasn’t but established a convincing type of play on his new workforce.
Atalanta will likely be an acid check for Juve as they’re the division’s greatest workforce away from house with no defeats on the street since being hammered by Inter approach again in August.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s workforce are nonetheless within the Scudetto battle themselves due to that away type as they battle for wins on house turf, and sit three factors above Juve in third.
Juve will possible not shut the hole on Inter this week because the champions host rock-bottom Monza on Saturday, however an harm disaster and a Champions League tie with Feyenoord may complicate their title defence, particularly with a visit to face Atalanta arising for Simone Inzaghi’s workforce per week on Sunday.
Inter have 4 of 5 wing-backs out injured whereas Hakan Calhanoglu shouldn’t be at his greatest after coming back from a calf knock.
Former leaders Napoli will likely be looking their first win because the finish of January once they host Fiorentina on Sunday, boosted by a wonderful show of their 1-1 draw with Inter final weekend.
4 attracts and one defeat from 5 matches have left Napoli a degree behind Inter in second place however Antonio Conte’s aspect have a softer run-in than Inter and no European commitments clogging up their schedule.
Conte continues to be awaiting the return of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s alternative David Neres and has Andre-Frank Anguissa out with a calf harm till after the worldwide break later this month.
Participant to look at: Teun Koopmeiners
Netherlands midfielder Koopmeiners has been an enormous disappointment since signing from Atalanta for an preliminary 51.3 million euros ($55.2 million) in August, displaying little of the dynamism and goalscoring menace that made him such a star in Bergamo.
Koopmeiners’ late strike on Monday evening was simply his third objective of the season in all competitions and got here after he changed Weston McKennie from the bench.
He isn’t assured a beginning spot towards his previous membership Atalanta, who have been angered by his behaviour when he held out for a transfer to Turin over the summer season by refusing to play initially of the season.
Gasperini mentioned in August that he and the membership felt “blackmailed” by Koopmeiners who ruined his legacy with Atalanta followers after being one of many stars of final season’s historic Europa League triumph.
Key stats
6 – The variety of factors separating the highest 4 in Serie A
5 – Juve’s league successful streak
Fixtures (occasions GMT)
Friday
Cagliari v Genoa (1945)
Saturday
Como v Venezia, Parma v Torino (each 1400), Lecce v AC Milan (1700), Inter Milan v Monza (1945)
Sunday
Verona v Bologna (1130), Napoli v Fiorentina (1400), Empoli (1700), Juventus v Atalanta (1945)
Monday
Lazio v Udinese (1945)
td/nf