With the chance to seize top spot in Serie A - for one day, at least - Juventus seek victory over Hellas Verona on Saturday evening.
Following last week's win over AC Milan, Juve have moved within range of both second-city clubs, who play on Sunday, and a third straight success would see them claim the summit.
Match preview
© Reuters
Though they made hard work of it, as some agitated touchline antics from boss Max Allegri would attest, Juventus closed the gap to first place in the Serie A standings last week, leaving San Siro with a precious 1-0 win.
After Milan had gone down to 10 men during the first half, Juve initially failed to break through a resilient home side, but Manuel Locatelli's deflected shot from long range finally found the net, and the ex-Milan midfielder got his name on the scoresheet precisely seven years after scoring the Rossoneri's winner in the equivalent fixture.
After 50 league games without a goal, Locatelli tearfully celebrated his decider, and one third of his Serie A strikes to date have now come from outside the opposition area - one coming against Verona, back in March 2021.
Allegri continues to claim his side are not back in Scudetto contention after two dismal years on and off the pitch, but having beaten both Lazio and Milan already such protests do not hold much weight - particularly without the exertions of European competition to concern them.
Not only have Juventus kept a clean sheet in both of their last two home league games - as many as in the previous nine - they have not conceded a goal anywhere for over 360 minutes: only Ligue 1 club Nice boast a better ongoing streak across Europe's top five leagues.
Ahead of Saturday's assignment, the Bianconeri have won each of their last three league matches versus Verona, keeping a clean sheet in each, and have also scored in each of the clubs' last 20 meetings. Indeed, their dominance over the Gialloblu on home soil is even more comprehensive.
© Reuters
Verona have gone without a win through 32 previous away matches against Juventus in the Italian top flight - suffering no fewer than 27 defeats - so the weight of history is certainly stacked against them this weekend.
Marco Baroni's current crop also travel to Turin having picked up just two points from their last seven games, which sees them sitting just above Serie A's drop zone.
Following a 3-1 reverse at home to Napoli last time out, Hellas have lost their last two matches and face suffering three league defeats in a row for the first time this calendar year.
Before visiting Bologna for a Coppa Italia tie next week, the Gialloblu must seek an end to their downturn against a second successive Serie A heavyweight, as after falling victim to the reigning champions they now meet Juventus at a venue where they have never won before.
Another relegation battle likely awaits Verona this season, particularly given their lack of goals, so taking anything home from the Allianz Stadium would be an unexpected bonus for Baroni and co.
Team News
© Reuters
In addition to banned pair Nicolo Fagioli and Paul Pogba, Juventus also have Brazilian duo Danilo and Alex Sandro sidelined by injury, while Mattia De Sciglio is not expected back until 2024.
Following fitness issues, first-choice forwards Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic started on the bench against Milan, but the latter may be ready to replace Arkadiusz Milik up front on Saturday evening.
Highly-rated Dutch defender Dean Huijsen made his debut as a substitute at San Siro, but Daniele Rugani should continue to deputise for Danilo in the Bianconeri's back three. Since the start of last season, Juventus have conceded only one goal in eight league matches with Rugani as a starter; winning 75% of games with the former Italy international in the XI, compared to 56% without him.
Meanwhile, Verona's only injury concerns relate to Juan Cabal and his fellow defender Isak Hien, who will both be assessed closer to kickoff.
Only Belgian forward Cyril Ngonge has scored more than once for the Gialloblu in Serie A this season, but after finding the net against Napoli last time out, Darko Lazovic became one of just two players to score in five straight top-flight campaigns for Verona - and the first since 1988.
Leading the visitors' attack in a lone striker role should be either Milan Djuric or Federico Bonazzoli, the latter of whom has previously played for both of Juve's main rivals, Inter and Torino.
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Rugani; Weah, McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Cambiaso; Kean, Vlahovic
Hellas Verona possible starting lineup:
Montipo; Amione, Dawidowicz, Magnani; Faraoni, Duda, Folorunsho, Doig; Lazovic, Ngonge; Bonazzoli
We say: Juventus 2-0 Hellas Verona
Having started to collect clean sheets as they did during several productive spells last season, Juventus are primed for another win against goal-shy Verona. The visitors have yet to taste victory at the Allianz Stadium despite several years of trying, and they should expect to traipse home empty-handed once again.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
