Udinese on Sunday evening at the Juventus Stadium in an exciting season opener for the two sides.
The reigning Serie A champions have won the title for the last four years , and have set the gold standard for Italian teams, even facing Spanish giants Barcelona at the 2015 Champions League final.
Juventus have shaken up their squad a bit, with notable departures in Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez, and Arturo Vidal.
Despite the exit of some of the club’s established stars, the Bianconeri have managed to introduce the likes of Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic, Simone Zaza, and Sami Khedira to the club, just to name a few.
Meanwhile, Udinese are rather struggling to stay afloat, signified by their poor 16th place finish last season.
The Zebrette have traditionally been a mid-table team, and will start their season with renewed determination to do well, especially with the memories of a fantastic 3rd place finish not long ago in the 2011-12 season.
However, compounding their problems are the high-profile departures of Allan and Luis Muriel.
The team are expected to rely heavily on talismanic veteran and captain Antonio Di Natale, who scored 14 goals last season, elevating his total to an astonishing 206 in Serie A.
Despite his 37-year-old body, Di Natale looks hungrier than ever, and recently expressed his intentions in surpassing both Jose Altafini and Giuseppe Meazza to become the fourth highest scorer in the history of the Italian top flight.
Udinese have also managed to snatch Duvan Zapata on loan from Napoli to aid their captain in the front line.
History suggests Juventus will come away victors, with the Turin club notching over two-thirds of victories in matches between the two sides.
However, it is worthy to mention that the last meeting between the two sides, back in January this year, ended in a goalless draw.
Juventus will have to do without young forward Alvaro Morata, who is out for a month due to a calf tear. Additionally, they will have to cope with injuries to Claudio Marchisio, Sami Khedira, Giorgio Cheillini and Kwadwo Asamoah.
Udinese, on the other hand, have the blessing of a full squad to choose from.
Expected Starting XIs
Juventus: Buffon; Caceres, Bonucci, Barzagli; Lichtsteiner, Pogba, Pereyra, Padoin, Sturaro; Mandzukic, Dybala
Udinese: Karnezis; Wague, Danilo, Piris; Widmer, Badu, Pinzi, Guilherme, Fernandes; Zapata, Di Natale
