Amid another turbulent time for the 36-times Italian champions, Juventus aim to rise above off-field disarray when they tackle Atalanta BC on Sunday evening.
After being thrashed by Serie A title rivals Napoli last time out in the league, Juve now have a huge points deduction to deal with; while their visitors recently burst into life by racking up 13 goals in two games.
Match preview
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Ending an eventful seven days in the ongoing soap opera that is Juventus Football Club, an Italian prosecutor's request that the Bianconeri be docked nine points in Serie A was made at a hearing on Friday - Juve are under such scrutiny due to some questionable transfer dealing. Hours later, a heftier 15-point penalty had been handed down by the FIGC (Italian FA).
Already with a brand-new board in place, the Turin giants had travelled south to Stadio Maradona last week, in search of a win which would draw them to within four points of league leaders Napoli, but returned empty-handed after a 5-1 defeat brought an abrupt end to their superb winning streak.
An eight-game run of victories without conceding a goal had brought Juve back into the title race, but their once steadfast defence was prised open again and again - with Angel Di Maria's first-half goal proving the most minor of consolations.
The club's worst loss in any competition for three decades dealt a bitter blow to Max Allegri's hopes of an unlikely Scudetto challenge, and now cast down to 10th by their points deduction - pending an appeal - making the top four is surely the limit of their ambitions this season.
Set to kick off a Europa League campaign against Nantes next month, after exiting the Champions League at its group stage, the 14-time Coppa Italia winners' only hope of salvaging some silverware from another difficult campaign could therefore come in the cups.
Juventus squeezed through to the Coppa quarter-finals in midweek, by coming from behind to beat Monza 2-1, with returning hero Federico Chiesa on the scoresheet for the first time in many months.
Ahead of Atalanta's visit to the Allianz Stadium this weekend, they have still won without conceding in each of their last five Serie A home games - their best such run since 2016 - and have lost only one of their last 25 home matches against the Bergamo side.
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While longer-term precedent lies against them, Atalanta have more recently drawn seven of their last 11 league meetings with the Old Lady - both have two wins apiece during that spell.
After 13 successive losses for La Dea beforehand, that represents a significant turnaround, and a 1-0 victory in November 2021 - when the teams last met in Turin - forms part of a five-match unbeaten streak versus Juve in Serie A.
Momentum is in Atalanta's favour, too, as they are not only one of three sides to have picked up the most points so far in 2023 - finding the net 12 times in the process - their last two outings have ended with 8-2 and 5-2 scorelines in the Bergamaschi's favour.
Gian Piero Gasperini's men had been struggling to score at times over the past 12 months, having once been Calcio's most reliable source of goals, but re-found their touch in spectacular fashion at home to Salernitana last Sunday: smashing in eight goals at the Gewiss Stadium.
A success story since moving to Bergamo last summer, Ademola Lookman bagged himself a brace, before adding two more in the opening 12 minutes on Thursday, when Atalanta ultimately swept past Spezia in the Coppa Italia; booking a date with Lombardy rivals Inter in the quarter-finals.
Occupying sixth spot one game short of Serie A's halfway point - but just four points adrift of second-placed Milan - they remain in contention for a return to the Champions League next term, but have gained the fewest points in fixtures between the top-seven sides so far (only four). Sunday's hosts, meanwhile, have gained seven from such games - and each of them on home soil.
Team News
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Following the return to full training of both Dusan Vlahovic and Juan Cuadrado, a packed treatment room has begun to clear for Juventus.
Adrien Rabiot appears to have overcome a knock too, though Paul Pogba and Juve captain Leonardo Bonucci are still on the sidelines and Mattia De Sciglio is also yet to return to the first-team squad.
In more positive news for the home side, Federico Chiesa - who started a Serie A match for the first time in 369 days last time out - is available and has found the net in two of his last three home appearances against Atalanta, in addition to his winner against La Dea in the 2021 Coppa Italia final.
After fielding several fringe players in midweek, Allegri should bring Bremer, Manuel Locatelli and Wojciech Szczesny back into his starting XI on Sunday, with Arkadiusz Milik replacing Moise Kean up front.
Atalanta, meanwhile, are not only set to be without supposed Everton transfer target Duvan Zapata due to a groin problem, midfield regular Teun Koopmeiners is suspended and may be replaced by Mario Pasalic in Turin.
Wing-back Davide Zappacosta's thigh injury will keep him out of action until late next month, so Joakim Maehle and Matteo Ruggeri are front-runners for a place on the visitors' left flank.
Up front, Ademola Lookman - on nine league goals so far - could become just the fourth Atalanta player to reach double figures after 19 matches of his first Serie A campaign; young Rasmus Hojlund is his most likely partner.
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Sandro; McKennie, Fagioli, Locatelli, Miretti, Kostic; Di Maria; Milik
Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:
Musso; Toloi, Demiral, Scalvini; Hateboer, De Roon, Pasalic, Ruggeri; Ederson; Lookman, Hojlund
We say: Juventus 2-1 Atalanta BC
After both progressed to the cup quarter-finals in midweek, two much-changed sides will be pitched together in a fascinating match-up on Sunday: Atalanta suddenly cannot stop scoring, while Juve have generally been resilient at the back - that hammering at Napoli aside. The troubled hosts are likely to regain their composure, though, and grind out another imperfect win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
