Juventus v Sassuolo – Preview: Bianconeri look to extend Neroverdi losing streak

Date: 6th March 2015 at 2:21pm
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Sassuolo sit near the bottom of the Serie A form table as the Neroverdi have won just twice in their last fourteen matches.FBL-ITA-SERIEA-AS ROMA-JUVENTUS

The Emilia-Romagna side did surprise Juventus in their last meeting, where they took a surprise lead through Simone Zaza.

Paul Pogba levelled for the Bianconeri, but the feisty Neroverdi held on for over 70 minutes for the draw. Sassuolo will be hoping for the same when they travel to Turin for Monday night’s match.

Juventus come into the game with several key players missing through injury. Andrea Pirlo is the most notable of the Bianconeri’s absentees. The Italian missed last week’s match and the original diagnosis following the injury against Borussia Dortmund was approximately 20 days recovery time.

The playmaker will be joined by Kwadwo Asamoah, Romulo and Luca Marrone who are all recovering from injury. Despite the injuries, Juventus have plenty of depth to fill in for their missing players.

Sassuolo’s injury worries are more extensive and those injuries have contributed to the club’s recent three loss run. Sime Vrsaljko, Federico Peluso, Paolo Cannavaro and Luca Antei will be out. The team’s defence is still a patchwork as 37-year-old Paolo Bianco should slot back into the side where he has struggled mightily.

The club have played midfielder Davide Biondini at full-back. The veteran is expected to be played their again which could lead to Juventus exploiting the Sassuolo right side. Forward Domenico Berardi is typically deployed on the right side as well. A lack of defending and tracking back from the youngster will leave Biondini regularly exposed.

Juventus striker Carlos Tevez has been red hot in his last 11 matches. The Argentine has tallied nine goals in all competitions in that time pushing his season total to 21 goals. Tevez currently leads Serie A in the race for capocannoniere with 15 and should give Sassuolo’s ragged defence a difficult time on Monday night.

While Sassuolo’s defence is threadbare, their attack still has enough fire power to cause the defending champions trouble. The attack with be triggered by Domenico Berardi, whose six assists have been the catalyst to leading goal scorer Simone Zaza’s eight goals. Coach Eusebio Di Francesco’s attack will be rounded out by Nicola Sansone, who has tallied three goals and two assists of his own.

Juventus will be coming off a midweek Coppa Italia semi-final tie with Fiorentina, which could put the league leaders at a disadvantage. Add in the club’s second-leg tie with Borussia Dortmund on March 18th, and the Bianconeri could take their foot of the pedal.

The club have plenty of depth, which could see several key players get a rest. But Massimiliano Allegri still has plenty of options to get the job done and take all three points.

Form guide: Juventus (W-D-W-D-W-D) Sassuolo (L-W-D-L-L-L)

Expected Starting XIs

Juventus: Buffon, Caceres, Bonucci, Chiellini, Lichtsteiner, Pereyra, Marchisio, Vidal, Evra, Morata, Tevez

Sassuolo: Consigli, Biondini, Acerbi, Bianco, Longhi, Taider, Magnanelli, Missiroli, Berardi, Sansone, Zaza

 

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