Genoa vs. Juventus: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info
There could not be a much starker contrast between the scenes at full-time of Juventus’ last two games, leaving the field to a chorus of whistles last Saturday and to rapturous applause on Tuesday evening.
The weekend’s draw with Chievo meant the reigning champions had failed to win in any of their three opening fixtures of the new campaign and saw them head to England to take on Manchester City in the Champions League low on confidence.
Yet a 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium appears to have restored their confidence, and there is a very different atmosphere surrounding the team as they travel to Genoa this Sunday. Their opponents have also recorded two early losses in 2015/16 and will not relish the challenge presented by the Bianconeri.
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The home side notched a win over Juventus last season, but Juan Cuadrado insists their victory over the Premier League giants will see a return to form for La Madama as he told Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia):
"We knew it was an important match and that gave us the extra boost to get the result. We should always believe in ourselves, we’re a strong team and we passed a big test. I think if we play like this we’ll be difficult to stop. Now we have to think about the next game, this has fired us up, and we know we have to strive for the Scudetto.
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That view was shared by Gigi Buffon, the captain telling reporters that such results "are crucial for your growth, and especially for the youngsters," per the official club website. With the likes of Paulo Dybala and Stefano Sturaro performing well, it appears that is certainly the case, meaning Massimiliano Allegri will have numerous tactical options available to him.
The Juve coach will need to counter Genoa’s attacking 3-4-3 formation, and it remains to be seen if he will deploy the 4-3-3 framework that saw off City.
Date: Sunday, September 20, 2015
Time: 2 p.m. BST (9 a.m. ET)
Venue: Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa
TV Info: BT Sport 1 (UK), beIN Sports (U.S.)
Live Stream: BT Sport app, Bein Sports Connect (U.S.)
Form Lines
Last 5 results (Serie A unless otherwise stated):
Predicted Formations
Genoa (3-4-3): Eugenio Lamanna; Sebastian De Maio, Nicolas Burdisso, Armando Izzo; Issa Cissokho, Tomas Rincon, Blerim Dzemaili, Diego Laxalt; Diego Perotti, Goran Pandev, Olivier Ntcham
Unavailable: Mattia Perin, Cristian Ansaldi, Serge Gakpe, Ezequiel Munoz, Tino Costa, Leonardo Pavoletti (all injured)
Juventus (4-3-3): Gigi Buffon; Stephan Lichtsteiner, Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Roberto Pereyra, Hernanes, Paul Pogba; Juan Cuadrado, Paulo Dybala, Alvaro Morata
Unavailable: Sami Khedira (injured), Kwadwo Asamoah (injured), Claudio Marchisio (injured), Rubinho (suspended)
Player to Watch
If Tuesday night saw the real Juventus return to form, then perhaps nobody embodied that more than Alvaro Morata. The Spanish star netted the match-winning goal with a wonderful strike, his first of the new campaign, and continuing his rich scoring run in European football’s elite competition.
With Mario Mandzukic bagging the equaliser, suddenly the Bianconeri have three strikers on the scoresheet and look much more deadly in attack. Morata is likely to retain his place in Allegri’s starting XI and will look to help his side earn three vital points against Genoa.
With the Rossoblu having conceded just two goals in their opening three games of the season, Morata’s cutting edge will be vital, and he is almost certainly the man to watch at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Sunday.
Key Battle
While Juve’s domestic performances have left much to be desired, last weekend against Chievo saw Alex Sandro impress on his debut. Running the flank almost single-handedly, the Brazilian looked sharp throughout, supplying a number of dangerous crosses and looking solid defensively.
However, his task was made easier by Valter Birsa’s natural instinct to drift centrally, often leaving Sandro—whose potential was discussed in detail here—with lots of space ahead of him when the Bianconeri won possession.
That is likely to change on Sunday, with Genoa’s Diego Perotti enjoying his time on the right flank equally well. Whoever emerges the victor of this head-to-head could have a major impact on the result, although Juve’s quality elsewhere should prove too much for Genoa.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Away win: 100/143
Home win: 9/2
Draw: 12/5
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