Good morning, gang! I’d tell you it’s the crack of dawn here in usually sunny North Carolina, but the sun might not be up for another hour. Serie A is hitting us with an unusual lunchtime kickoff on a Thursday, and I wasn’t about to stay in bed while an entertaining Juventus side were playing.
Juventus Vs. Parma: Pre-Match Primer
In a tactical decision, the Old Lady will be playing Claudio Marchisio, a sold two-way player who has played a few games in the center this season, as a wide player. Simone Pepe has been left on the bench. The other winger is a classic out and out winger, Milos Krasic. He’s probably going to be the most exciting player on the pitch between the two teams, so keep an eye on him. Parma could have a slight advantage in the midfield, playing three central midfielders against Juve’s 4-4-2, but I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that’s why Marchisio has been selected as a “wide player.” We could see him drift inside quite a bit, giving Juventus a slightly asymmetrical look. Francesco Valiani and Sebastian Giovinco haven’t been at their best so far this year, and they will have to put in a better effort than usual today if they want to get points against Juventus.
Juventus lineup (4-4-2): Storari ; Grosso, Chiellini, Legrottaglie, Sorensen ; Marchisio, Melo, Aquilani, Krasic ; Quagliarella, Del Piero
Parma lineup (4-3-3): Mirante ; Poletti, Paci, Gobbi, Zaccardo ; Dzemali, Candreva, Morrone ; Valiani, Giovinco, Crespo
Kickoff is at 6:30 am ET and the game can be seen on ESPN3.com in the United States.
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