What: Italian Serie A
Who: Juventus vs Roma
When: Saturday 29th September, 2012, at 19:45 UK Time
Where: Juventus Stadium, Turin, Italy
Unbeaten Run Goes On
A 0-0 draw against Fiorentina in midweek brought to an end four successive victories at the start of the Serie A season for champions Juventus, but the Bianconeri are now 44 matches unbeaten. They still have some way to go to match AC Milan’s record of 58 set in the 1990s, however Juventus are showing no signs of letting up anytime soon, even without suspended coach Antonio Conte.
Conte remains absent after being given a 10-month ban for failing to report alleged match fixing during his time at Siena, and match fixing, as so often in Italy, overshadows the build-up to this match. Juventus fans will have noted the publishing of the autobiography of Matias Almeyda during this week and the River Plate coach had plenty to say about things that went on whilst he played for Parma. Among them was an allegation that Parma players were asked to throw a match which they lost against Juventus’ opponents here, Roma, which helped the Giallorossi to beat the Turin side to the Scudetto in 2001.
Compounding the tension will be the fact that Juventus will ‘welcome’ Roma coach Zdenek Zeman, the man who 14 years ago accused the Turin giants of doping practises which sparked an investigation. Roma’s last game, a 1-1 draw with Sampdoria, was overshadowed by Zeman and his opposite number, Ciro Ferrara, failing to shake hands either at the start or end of the match. Ferrara was at Juventus at the time Zeman accused them of doping.
Massimo Carrera is currently the man looking after affairs for Juventus in the absence of Conte and he will be aiming to keep his players’ minds exclusively on the task in hand as they look to pick up another three points and try to put some distance between themselves and an exciting Napoli side, level on points with them and looking like their most realistic title rivals. A poor performance against Fiorentina was a concern despite the point earned and Juventus will be hoping to get back to winning ways here.
Inconsistent Roma Look to Get Season on Track
As Zeman’s return to the dugout in Turin shows, so often in Italy, matters off the pitch overshadow those on it, and Roma’s game with Cagliari last weekend was just the latest illustration of that fact. The match was cancelled after Cagliari encouraged fans to turn up to the match despite it being intended to be played behind closed doors because of safety concerns. As a result, Roma were awarded a 3-0 victory.
On the pitch Roma have enjoyed a mixed start to the season. They have yet to win at home, having drawn with Sampdoria and Catania, and lost 3-2 to Bologna, with Zeman’s trademark attacking style costing Roma dear. But the walkover win at Cagliari and an impressive 3-1 triumph at the San Siro against Inter Milan mean the Giallorossi are still eighth in the league.
Striker Pablo Osvaldo’s return to action and the evergreen Francesco Totti’s impressive form will give them some cause for optimism, but few would expect the Giallorossi to add to their points tally with a tough trip to Turin to handle. An encouraging performance would not be the worst outcome for Zeman’s side.
Recent form
Juventus:
Genoa 1-3 Juventus (16/09; Serie A)
Juventus 2-0 Chievo (22/09; Serie A)
Fiorentina 0-0 Juventus (25/09; Serie A)
Roma:
Roma 2-3 Bologna (16/09; Serie A)
Cagliari 0-3 Roma (23/09; Serie A)
Roma 1-1 Sampdoria (26/09; Serie A)
Key absences
Juventus: Lucio
Roma: Miralem Pjanic; Michael Bradley
Players to watch
Juventus – Mirko Vucinic: The ex-Roma man will be determined to get Juventus back to winning ways against his former side. His speed and finishing ability will make him a crucial counter attacking weapon and with Andrea Pirlo failing to replicate his form of last season, more responsibility for creating chances will fall on his team-mates. Vucinic will therefore feel a heavy burden for making things happen for Juventus in this game and Roma’s attacking instincts could curb those of the Turin side’s own full backs Kwadwo Asamoah and Stephan Lichtsteiner. That means Vucinic and his striker partner, whether Sebastian Giovinco or Fabio Quagliarella, will have their hands full to get Juventus a result.
Roma – Daniele De Rossi: De Rossi will have one of his toughest assignments of the season when he seeks to limit the effectiveness of the likes of Pirlo and Arturo Vidal. The Italian midfielder will be key to providing a defensive shield in front of the Roma defence, which will come under significant pressure. But his ability to start attacking moves will also be critical. With Zeman deploying a direct attacking style, De Rossi will be tasked with supplying quick, long and accurate passes for the likes of Totti, talented Argentine Eric Lamela and Osvaldo, who if on form, can punish any defensive lapses.
Match Prediction
This should be a good test of Juventus’ abilities to cope with three matches a week after their superb season last year. They laboured to a draw with Fiorentina in midweek, but were outplayed and fortunate to escape with their unbeaten record intact. Pirlo has been less effective than the previous campaign and Giovinco is also struggling for form, meaning Juventus are somewhat reliant on Vucinic.
Meanwhile, Roma too have struggled of late, but will be boosted by Osvlado’s return to the starting line-up, Mattia Destro is still recovering from injury too, but Zeman will as usual play his 4-3-3 system and look to press and attack Juventus. They could cause the Bianconeri some real problems too, as Juventus are showing some signs of tiredness with their heavy workload, whilst Roma have played one game fewer during the last week.
But Roma’s tendency to push up will leave them vulnerable to the counter attack and Juventus have a strong enough defence to cope. Two solid banks of three for Juventus – Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli sitting behind midfielders Pirlo, Vidal and Claudio Marchisio – will be difficult to break down even for Zeman’s team. The firepower of Vucinic and Quagliarella could be just too much for Roma in the end. Juventus 2-1 Roma.
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