Match Preview
Seria A leader Juventus will face second-placed Roma in Turin as Italian football awaits arguably the biggest game of the season so far.
Defending champions Juventus defeated a strong Atalanta side and also won the Turin derby against Torino to show their title credentials once again. The Old Lady were criticized before these games, but they surely have won over the critics on the back of their solid performances in recent games.
Similarly, AS Roma has prepared for this game well justified by their three straight wins, most notably beating AC Milan in the last game. This is a must-win game for the Giallorossi as they can move just a point behind Juventus on the league table. But a loss means they will be seven points behind the leaders and a step back in their march for the Seria A title.
Team News: Juventus
Juventus supremo Massimiliano Allegri is reportedly considering switching from three-man to four-man defense in order to give more freedom to creative midfielder Miralem Pjanic between midfield and attack. However, the former Roma star is racing against time to be fit for this crucial match.
Juventus has near full squad fit, barring the absence of Dani Alves and Leonardo Bonucci, for this game. So, Allegri will have to make some tough decisions in order to address the playing demands of his key players. It will be interesting to see if Paulo Dybala starts alongside Gonzalo Higuain in attack.
Striker Mario Mandzukic has been playing well in recent games. So, there will be unhappy faces whatever Max Allegri chooses in his lineup in this game.
Juventus: Predicted Line-up (4-2-3-1)
Buffon – Sandro, Chiellini, Rugani, Lichtsteiner – Sturaro, Khedira, Marchisio – Mandzukic, Higuain, Cuadrado
Team News: Roma
Bruno Peres was injured in the last match. So, manager Luciano Spalletti will not be able to count on the Brazilian winger-cum-right-back, reports Italian Football Daily . Antonio Rudiger may be used to deputize at right-back once again.
Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah was ruled out previously until February, but he has recovered quicker than expected. However, it will be too soon for him to play against the Old Lady.
Roma: Predicted Line-up (3-4-1-1)
Szczesny – Manolas, Fazio, Rudiger – Emerson, De Rossi, Strootman, Peres – Perotti – Nainggolan, Dzeko
Juventus vs. Roma: Head-to-Head
Total games: 164 Juventus wins: 78 Roma wins: 38 Draws: 48
Juventus vs. Roma: TV Schedule and Channel
In the U.S., the match will be live on beIN SPORTS USA, fuboTV, and beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A.. For other regions, the TV schedule can be found in the link here .
Juventus vs. Roma: Prediction
Both teams look strong heading into this mouth-watering contest. The game has no real favorite and the small events during the games will decide the winner. However, we predict the match to end without a clear result.
Final Predicted Score: Juventus 2-2 Roma
Juventus vs. Roma: Betting Tips and Odds
- Juventus win: 4/6
- A draw: 13/5
- Roma win: 4/1
- Under 2.5 goals: evens
- Over 2.5 goals: 8/11
- Both teams score: 8/13
- Both teams fail to score: 6/5
The Juventus vs. Roma odds were provided by Paddypower .
Key Stats to consider
- Juventus has won their last 24 home matches in the league.
- Juventus has netted at least two goals in their last 12 home games in the league.
- Juventus has been winning at both half time and full time in 12 of their last 14 home games in the league.
- Roma has not lost in 30 of their last 33 games (Serie A).
- Roma is unbeaten in their last five games in all competitions.
- Roma has not conceded a single goal in their last three matches.
The Juventus vs. Roma stats were provided by Whoscored .
Juventus vs. Roma: Live Stream
The match can be streamed live online by clicking at this link . The live streaming link will be updated just before kick-off.
[Featured Image by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images]
