Preview: Hellas Verona vs. Juventus – prediction, team news, lineups

Third-placed Juventus search to put stress on the league-leading Milan golf equipment on Saturday evening, because the defending Serie A champions tackle Hellas Verona at Stadio Bentegodi.

Enjoying a day forward of their Scudetto rivals and nonetheless with a recreation in hand, Andrea Pirlo‘s aspect will meet a well-oiled unit, because the Gialloblu have gained every of their final three residence video games to sit down comfortably inside the top half of the table.

Match preview

It was again to enterprise as ordinary for Juventus final trip, following a difficult fortnight, because the Bianconeri continued their quest for a tenth successive title with a regulation 3-0 residence win over hapless backside aspect Crotone.

Their anticipated success introduced at the very least slightly reduction for the stumbling Turin giants, who had been out-fought and out-thought in losses to each Napoli and Porto, after going out of the Coppa Italia to previous rivals Inter.

Prime-scoring talisman Cristiano Ronaldo erased a run of just one objective from his final 5 league begins towards the Calabrian minnows, with yet one more brace in the course of the first half final Monday. Including Crotone to the lengthy record of top-flight groups he has now scored towards, the Portuguese famous person has netted greater than as soon as in seven separate Serie A video games this season – greater than every other participant within the high 5 European leagues.

Juve’s ageless striker has now scored three in as many league appearances, having failed to search out the web in his three earlier outings – a relative drought by his personal sky-high requirements. Ronaldo’s double strike noticed him break clear on the high of the hotly-contested Capocannoniere charts too, forward of Romelu Lukaku and Ciro Motionless on 18 objectives.

Although the stress on coach Andrea Pirlo’s shoulders stays intense, his aspect’s most up-to-date win of an inconsistent interval took full benefit of Roma’s attract Benevento to rise to 3rd place within the standings and focuses faltering Milan of their crosshairs – with the once-distant Rossoneri now solely 4 factors forward and having performed a recreation extra.

Moreover, Juve have now saved a clear sheet in 4 of their final 5 league video games (as many as of their earlier 27) and are set to come back up towards the statistically weakest assault within the high half of the desk this weekend.

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Regardless of the gulf in stature between the 2 golf equipment, Verona have gained 4 factors from their final two matches towards this week’s guests, having misplaced every of their earlier three encounters. In truth, the Scaligeri may go unbeaten in three consecutive video games versus Juventus for the primary time for the reason that Nineteen Eighties on Saturday night.

The primary assembly this time period ended 1-1, after objectives from Andrea Favilli and Dejan Kulusevski, within the opening head-to-head between highly-rated Hellas tactician Ivan Juric and Juve’s managerial rookie Andrea Pirlo.

Juric’s males come into the re-match on the again of a 2-2 draw with in-form Genoa, having been inside a hair’s breadth of sealing a second successive victory till Milan Badelj‘s highly effective stoppage-time equaliser for the Grifone. A massively entertaining affair, performed out at excessive depth by each groups, ended with the spoils shared regardless of Genoa being down to 10 males for the ultimate quarter-of-an-hour after that they had used all their substitutions after which suffered an harm.

Afterwards, the Gialloblu’s demanding coach refused guilty his winter signing Kevin Lasagna – who has been ineffective in entrance of objective for 2 golf equipment now this season – for failing to wrap up the sport, given two gilt-edged possibilities which the previous Udinese man in some way spurned. Nonetheless, it was symptomatic of Verona’s achilles heel this season, as they’ve but to decide on a centre-forward match to enhance their underwhelming strike-rate.

Nevertheless, the Venetian aspect have constructed their relative success upon a disciplined again line which have conceded far fewer than most, with solely league leaders Inter, Napoli and Juve maintaining issues tighter this time period.

Definitely, this Saturday, that rearguard resilience will probably be wanted up towards top-quality opposition who’ve benefited from a uncommon midweek relaxation.

Hellas Verona Serie A kind: LWLLWD

Juventus Serie A kind: LWWWLW
Juventus kind (all competitions): WWDLLW

Crew Information

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Regardless of his failings in entrance of objective, Kevin Lasagna is more likely to characteristic once more for Ivan Juric’s residence aspect as skilled Croatian striker Nikola Kalinic stays an harm doubt.

Midfielder Ebrima Colley won’t return till April attributable to a knee downside, whereas Kevin Ruegg, Federico Ceccherini and Pawel Dawidowicz are all anticipated to be sidelined too.

Key man Federico Dimarco returns from suspension for Verona although, so will are available in for fellow defender Mert Cetin, who struggled towards Genoa, whereas Miguel Veloso is match to contend for a recall in central midfield.

The deepening defensive emergency at Juventus continues, as mainstays Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Juan Cuadrado will miss out attributable to harm and full-back Danilo should serve a suspension.

Subsequently, teenage centre-back Radu Dragusin may very well be referred to as upon by Andrea Pirlo to start out alongside remaining choices Merih Demiral, Matthijs de Ligt and Alex Sandro. Alternatively, Federico Chiesa and Gianluca Frabotta may very well be used as wing-backs in a 3-5-2.

Wojciech Szczesny will return at Gianluigi Buffon‘s expense within the Bianconeri objective, whereas Dejan Kulusevski ought to proceed to assist Cristiano Ronaldo up entrance, as Paulo Dybala stays injured and Alvaro Morata is affected by an intestinal sickness.

Hellas Verona attainable beginning lineup:
Silvestri; Magnani, Gunter, Dimarco; Faraoni, Tameze, Ilic, Lazovic; Barak, Zaccagni; Lasagna

Juventus attainable beginning lineup:
Szczesny; Demiral, Dragusin, de Ligt, Sandro; Chiesa, Bentancur, Rabiot, McKennie; Kulusevski, Ronaldo

We are saying: Hellas Verona 1-2 Juventus

Two notably tight defences come collectively on the Bentegodi, although the champions’ again line is in disarray attributable to quite a few accidents.

Although Verona had been maybe lucky to come back away with a draw towards a dominant Juventus aspect within the first recreation final October, they pose a tricky proposition on residence turf and may push Juve all the way in which earlier than succumbing to the Previous Girl’s larger particular person high quality ultimately.