Palermo vs. Juventus: Team News, Predicted Line-Ups, Live Stream & TV Info
Juventus travel south this weekend, heading to Sicily for a tricky encounter with last year’s Serie B winners Palermo. The Rosanero have impressed since their promotion this summer, currently sitting in 10th place and enjoying their return to the top flight under Beppe Iachini.
The coach has seemingly transformed the usually tumultuous club into a much calmer atmosphere, and his team have benefitted directly from that. Only three teams—Juventus, Roma and Lazio—boast better home records this season than Palermo, who have lost just once at the Renzo Barbera this term.
That defeat came way back in September, and last month the Sicilian side recorded an impressive win over Napoli which should set alarm bells ringing for the Bianconeri. Aside from their Coppa Italia loss to Fiorentina last week, Massimiliano Allegri’s men have not been in the best of form lately, although they have still managed to get the results they needed.
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Narrow wins over Borussia Dortmund and Sassuolo sandwiched a well-earned draw with AS Roma that could prove fatal to the title aspirations of the Giallorossi, with the Turin giants now 11 points clear at the top of the Serie A standings.
They will hope to extend that lead against Palermo, knowing that their nearest rivals face a tough clash with Sampdoria on Monday evening. A win over the Rosonero could see the Old Lady take an unassailable lead, although there is likely to be some rotation as Allegri will certainly have one eye on next week’s vital Champions League fixture.
Date: Saturday, March 14
Time: 6 pm CET (5 pm GMT / 1 pm EDT)
Venue: Stadio Renzo Barbera, Palermo
TV Info: beINSports (U.S.)
Live Stream: beIN Sports CONNECT (U.S.)
Form Lines
Last five domestic results:
Predicted Line-ups
Palermo (4-3-2-1): Sorrentino; Vitiello, Terzi, Andelkovic, Daprela; Rigoni, Maresca, Barreto; Quaison, Vasquez; Dybala
Key Battle
There is little doubt that Paulo Dybala is the danger man for Palermo, as the Argentinian starlet is taking Serie A by storm in 2014-15. Recording 12 goals and seven assists in his first 25 appearances of the campaign, it is little wonder he is currently one of the hottest names in the transfer market.
His form was discussed in detail here, and this week club president Maurizio Zamparini told Radio Anch’io that “Dybala is the Messi of the future,” (h/t Football Italia) and placed a €40 million valuation on the 21-year-old.
The task of stopping him will likely fall to Giorgio Chiellini, and the Juventus defender has hardly shown his best recently. Uncharacteristic mistakes have begun to blight his performances, and the Bianconeri will need him to improve quickly if they are to keep Dybala in check.
Player to Watch
If Dybala is the deadly finisher, he owes much of his impressive form to the rapport he has built with countryman Franco Vasquez. The pair have shown an eerie understanding on the pitch, and any club looking at Dybala’s prowess would perhaps do well to sign his team-mate at the same time.
The 26-year-old has enjoyed a stellar campaign in his own right, netting seven goals while contributing a league-high nine assists. Thanks to his intelligent positioning between the lines—allied with smart off-ball running—he is incredibly difficult to mark and Juventus will have to watch him closely throughout this encounter.
The Bianconeri enjoyed a 2-0 victory when the two sides met in Turin earlier in the season, and they did so with a well-executed game plan that stymied the opportunities for Palermo’s vibrant attack. They will need a repeat performance of that if they are to once again collect three points on Saturday.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Home win: 4/1
Away win: 100/137
Draw: 5/2
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