The most important game of the Serie A season so far takes place on Sunday, with Juventus meeting their fellow table-toppers AS Roma in Turin. Both of these sides have won every one of their domestic league games so far, making this an exciting, unpredictable and unmissable encounter. Home advantage just about gives Juve the edge, but their opponents have this season looked as strong as they have since Rudi García took charge.
Juventus vs. AS Roma preview: Will the Serie A deadlock be broken?
The two sides currently sitting joint-top of the Serie A table meet in Turin on Sunday. Will the deadlock finally be broken?
Claudio Villa
However, if Roma are to win this match, they’ll have to overcome a string of injury problems to do so. If the manage it, it will be their first league victory away over Juventus in Turin in almost five years. Their last victory came back in early 2010, courtesy of a late goal from John Arne Riise, and a week later, Juventus sacked coach Ciro Ferrara. Now, they’re a much, much stronger team, and things will be much more difficult for the giallorossi.
Team news
Andrea Barzagli is Juventus' only big first-team absentee, though Martín Cáceres has filled in admirably for his veteran teammate so far this season. Young striker Álvaro Morata is a slight doubt after picking up an injury in the Champions League in midweek, though he's not a starter. Neither are Rômulo and Luca Marrone, who are both certainly unavailable this weekend.
Roma's injury woes are rather worse than Juve's. They're still without key midfielders Daniele De Rossi and Kevin Strootman, and center backs Leandro Castán and Davide Astori. That almost certainly means Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa will keep his place alongside Kostas Manolas in defence, while Seydou Keita will be given the holding role in midfield.
Projected lineups (left to right)
Juventus (3-5-2): Gianluigi Buffon; Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Martín Cáceres; Patrice Evra, Paul Pogba, Claudio Marchisio, Arturo Vidal, Stephan Lichtsteiner; Carlos Tevez, Fernando Llorente.
AS Roma (4-3-3): Łukasz Skorupski; Ashley Cole, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Kostas Manolas, Maicon; Radja Nainggolan, Seydou Keita, Miralem Pjanić; Juan Iturbe, Francesco Totti, Gervinho.
Key Questions
Will Roma be able to stop Juve through the middle? - Juventus’ real goalscoring threat comes through their powerful, mobile centre, where Carlos Tevez drops deep to create space for midfielders Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal to exploit with their tireless runs from deep. In Juve’s defeat to Atlético Madrid in midweek, the Spanish side stayed deep and compact through the middle, and played a couple of holding midfielders to keep the space between their midfield and defence as small as possible. In the absence of Daniele De Rossi, Roma’s midfield will be considerably more lightweight, and it remains to be seen whether Seydou Keita will be able to stop Juve almost single-handedly.
Can Roma capitalise on their advantage out wide? - However, Roma’s defensive weakness through the middle should be countered by their advantage out wide, where they boast a string of talented, pacey attackers. If they can build up some sustained possession and push their full-backs forward too, they’ll be hopeful of ganging up on Juve’s wing-backs out wide, and making the most of their numerical advantage.
Which Gervinho will show up? - Crucial to much of Roma’s best play this season has been winger Gervinho, who has scored four goals in his eight games in all competitions so far. When he’s at his best, he’s one of the best attackers in one-on-one situations in the division. When he’s not, he can barely control the ball. Roma’s chances in this game will be boosted considerably if it’s good Gervinho that shows up, rather than the periodic terrible one.
Prediction
These sides have been inseparable so far this season, making it almost impossible to call a winner. 1-1.
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