JUVENTUS take on Roma in a crucial Serie A clash.
Cristiano Ronaldo and co sit one point behind their opponents as they look to fire themselves back into the title race.
- Juventus vs Roma kicks off at 5pm.
- Juventus vs Roma is live on Premier Sports 1.
- To stream the game live for FREE, head to the LiveScore App.
JUVENTUS XI
Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo has opted for a 4-4-2 formation with two changes to the team that beat Sampdoria 2-0 away in the Serie A on January 30.
Ex-Arsenal star Wojciech Szczesny starts in goal with Alex Sandro replacing former Chelsea ace Juan Cuadrado at left-back while ex-Manchester City player Danilo plays at right back.
Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini link up at centre-back once more.
Weston McKenni starts on the right wing with Federico Chiesa on the other side while Adrien Rabiot replaces Rodrigo Bentancur in midfield to team up with Arthur.
Ex-Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata leads the line with Manchester United legend Cristiano Ronaldo
THE TEAM SHEETS ARE IN!!!
JUVE STATS
Juventus are fourth in the Serie A table with a game in hand and eight points separating them from Inter Milan at the top.
Juve have only amassed 11 wins in all of their 19 league matches, which is the worst return out of the entire top five in the Serie A, and have fallen behind due to six draws and two losses.
However, the Italian champions have been on fire recently as they conquered the Super Cup last month and won five out of their last six matches.
Juventus have scored a total of 39 league goals, which is the worst tally out of the entire top five, but currently boast the best defence in the Serie A as they have only conceded a mere 18
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Juventus and Roma’s first ever encounter took place way back in 1927, during Benito Mussolini’s fascist dictatorship, when they drew 0-0 in Rome.
Since then, Juve count a whopping 92 victories in 195 matches, compared to the Romans’ 48 wins.
The Italian champions have enjoyed plenty of success against the Giallorossi in the last nine years as they have won 10 out of 11 matches at home across all competitions.
However, Paulo Fonseca’s side’s one and only victory in Turin throughout this period took place last season with a 3-1 victory in the Serie A thanks to a goal by Nikola Kalinic and a brace by Diego Perotti, which cancelled out Gonzalo Higuain’s opener
GOOD AFTERNOON FROM TURIN
Welcome to our live coverage of the Serie A clash between Juventus and Roma at the Juventus Stadium.
The battle for third place is on as the Romans are barely holding up with one point ahead of fourth-placed Juve, who have a game in hand.
The Italian champions’ manager Andrea Pirlo left Paulo Dybala out of his squad yet again due to a ligament injury he endured last month.
But other than that, the Turin outfit don’t have any further injuries or suspensions to report ahead of tonight’s crunch clash.
Of course, Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is expected to start even though he appeared to be furious when he was substituted on Tuesday’s Coppa Italia victory over Inter Milan.
Pirlo explained: “There is no contract clause that says he can’t be subbed off. He knows he is a fundamental player for us but to get his breath back, he must always be at the top.”
Roma manager Paulo Fonseca, on the other hand, will be without Nicolo Zaniolo and ex-Chelsea star Pedro, who are nursing a cruciate ligament and a muscle injury respectively.
Former Manchester United ace Chris Smalling has also been omitted on account of a strain on his left thigh he suffered recently
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
