Juventus vs. Udinese: How Juve Will Line Up in Serie a Game

Juventus finally host their first home game of 2014-15, the international break delaying the debut of Massimiliano Allegri in front of the Turin crowd. The new coach will line up against Udinese, pitting him against former Inter boss Andrea Stramaccioni in an important match for both sides.

After another summer of upheaval, the Friulian side will be buoyed by their 2-0 win over Empoli last week, with talismanic captain Antonio Di Natale getting both goals. For Juventus, a routine one-goal victory at Chievo handed Allegri a solid start to his reign, and he will look to build on that on Saturday.

The Bianconeri will be without several key figures, as Arturo Vidal and Andrea Barzagli sit out injured, while Giorgio Chiellini is suspended. It is likely the side will once again be deployed in a 3-5-2 formation, continuing with the framework Antonio Conte favoured with great success over the last three years.

The following pages is a look at how Juventus will line up against Udinese, looking at each department of the side in turn.

Goalkeeper

Rick Rycroft/Associated Press

Gianluigi Buffon will certainly start between the posts, the club captain is looking to add to his opening day clean sheet as he bids to keep Di Natale and company at bay. The 36-year-old enjoyed a quiet afternoon against Chievo, making just two saves over the 90 minutes, according to ESPN FC stats.

Defence

Felice Calabro'/Associated Press

More than anywhere else, defence has become a concern for Allegri, with a number of players unavailable for the coach. As well as the injury suffered by Barzagli and Chiellini’s suspension, Juventus will also struggle to call upon Kwadwo Asamoah on Saturday.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, Allegri told reporters the Ghanaian only returned from international duty 24 hours earlier. That means Patrice Evra will start on the left flank, per Football Italia, with Stephan Lichtsteiner opposite the Frenchman.

In the back three, the Bianconeri are expected to continue with the trio of Martin Caceres, Angelo Ogbonna and Leonardo Bonucci, just as they did against Chievo. The latter will be boosted by a fine performance for Italy, where he was among the many positives of the Azzurri win over Norway.

Midfield

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Juventus will also have to face Udinese without the talented Arturo Vidal, the Chilean midfielder returning from international duty with another injury. He has suffered a strain in his right thigh, which the Bianconeri will monitor in the coming days, as per Football Italia.

Luckily for Allegri, he continues to have a raft of talented midfielders at his disposal, with Roberto Pereyra ready to deputise for Vidal alongside Paul Pogba and Claudio Marchisio. That trio should be comfortable against Udinese, the club Pereyra moved to Turin from this past summer.

Attack

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Carlos Tevez was reportedly injured earlier this week, but the striker took to Twitter to deny he was hampered in anyway. “Thank you to everyone for being worried about me,” he wrote (h/t Football Italia). “I have no lesions and I am preparing for Saturday’s game.”

Despite those assurances, it is expected that Fernando Llorente will start the match against Udinese, stepping in for the Argentinean. Alongside him, the impressive Kingsley Coman—who was analysed in detail here—may be handed a second start by Allegri.