JUVENTUS travel to Benevento as they look to chase down Serie A leaders AC Milan.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s side sit in fourth place, behind top-of-the-pile AC Milan, so a win today would move them a step closer to where they want to be.
Start time: 5pm GMT
TV/Live stream: LiveScore
Benevento XI: To follow
Juventus XI: Szczesny, Frabotta, De Ligt, Danilo, Cuadrado, Athur, Rabiot, Chiesa, Ramsey, Dybala, Morata
Follow ALL the action with our live blog below…
Cristiano Ronaldo and co will be expected to win as they visit BeneventoCredit: AFP or licensors
What time does Benevento vs Juventus kick off?
- Benevento take on Juventus on Saturday, November 28.
- The match kicks off at 5pm UK time – 6pm in Italy.
- It will be played at Benevento’s Stadio Ciro Vigorito.
TEAMS ARE IN!
Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo has decided to rest star man Cristiano Ronaldo, who didn’t even travel to Benevento.
But Juve will also be missing key defenders Merih Demiral and Giorgo Chiellini to injury. Leonardo Bonucci, however, will be on the bench.
Matthijs De Ligtis thus set to start next to Danilo at centre-back.
Juventus XI: Szczesny; Frabotta, De Ligt, Danilo, Cuadrado; Ramsey, Rabiot, Arthur, Chiesa; Morata, Dybala.
Bench: Pinsoglio, Garofani, Alex Sandro, Bonucci, Dragusin, McKennie, Bentancur, Portanova, Bernardeschi, Kulusevski.
JUVE STATS
Juventus are fourth in the Serie A table with four wins and four draws in eight league matches – Pirlo’s men have yet to lose.
Juve have beaten Sampdoria, Napoli, Spezia as well as Cagliari and drew with Roma, Crotone, Verona and Lazio.
The Turin outfit will hope to return to winning ways today at Benevento where they have just arrived.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The two sides have faced off twice in the past with Juventus winning both Serie A fixtures in the 2017-2018 season.
Juve defeated the Gli Stregoni 2-1 three years ago thanks to goals by Gonzalo Higuain and Juan Cuadrado whereas Amato Ciciretti netted the opener.
A few months later the Italian giants prevailed again with a score of 4-2 in Campania.
Cheikh Diabate scored a brace for the hosts but the visitors stood tall with a hat-trick by Paulo Dybala and a goal by Douglas Costa.
GOOD AFTERNOON FROM BENEVENTO
Welcome to our live coverage of the Serie A clash between Juventus and Benevento at the Ciro Vigorito stadium.
It’s been four days since Juve sealed Champions League qualification to the last 16 when Alvaro Morata’s late strike marked a 2-1 victory over Ferencvaros at the Juventus Stadium.
The Italian champions are now set to battle Barcelona for first place, which would lead to a smoother draw for the knockout stages.
But Barca will have to wait as the Bianconeri will look to catch up to table toppers AC Milan who lead by four points in the Serie A.
Juventus are undefeated in the league but their four draws in eight matches have sunk them to fourth place behind Milan, Sassuolo and Roma.
But today’s encounter won’t be a walk in the park as Pirlo is facing a defensive crisis with Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini and Merih Demiral all likely to be unavailable.
That means Matthijs de Ligt may be the only recognised centre-back available on the pitch against Benevento, who are not without problems as Bryan Dabo has tested positive for coronavirus.
Benevento manager, and Juventus legend, Filippo Inzaghi will also be without the injured Gaetano Letizia, Massimo Volta and Alessandrio Tuia whereas Iago Falque and Daam Foulon are facing a late fitness test.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
