Juventus – Verona : Preview & Prediction
After spending three seasons off the Serie A (SA) throne, Juventus are re-emerging as Scudetto contenders. A 1-0 win over arch-rivals AC Milan last time out at the San Siro reaffirmed their title hopes and, unlike most of the other contenders at the top of the standings, Juventus have had a full week to recover and prepare for their next outing, where they host Hellas Verona at the Allianz Stadium.
The “Bianconeri” should be looking forward to another home game, as they started the day as one of only three SA teams yet to lose a league game at home. A major factor behind their recovery has been a strong defense that racked up six clean sheets in nine games, the most in the league. They come into this matchday having kept their opponents of the day scoreless in four consecutive league games, their best run since an eight-game clean sheet streak in SA between October and January last season.
Those are ominous signs for their next visitors, Hellas Verona, who surprisingly have never beaten Juventus away from home in the 66-year history of this fixture (E5, P31). Overcoming that wall would not only challenge decades of history but also their miserable recent performance, as since winning their first two SA games, the “Mastiffs” have failed to emerge victorious in their last seven (E2, P5).
A major area of concern for Marco Baroni’s men will be their poor attack, as the six goals they managed were only better than three other teams after the last matchday, with all three sides placed in the bottom four of the table. That is where Verona could end up on Sunday night if they are defeated in Turin, showing that they have struggled to progress after avoiding relegation last season via a decisive play-off against Spezia.
Players to watch: Juventus striker Moise Kean won all three of his personal meetings against Verona, scoring the winning goal in both of their 1-0 head-to-head wins last SA season. He will likely keep visiting goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipò busy, but Montipò should approach this match with confidence after avoiding defeat in half of his six meetings against the “Vecchia Signora” (G2, E1, P3).
Key stat: Juventus lost each of their last ten SA home games in which they failed to score.
Juventus – Verona : Betting Tips
Juventus – Win Odds: 1.35
