Fiorentina vs. Juventus: Team News, Predicted Line-Ups, Live Stream & TV Info
Saturday saw a full slate of Serie A games, as Italian football leaves Sunday free because of Easter, with a number of teams recording important wins. While victories for AS Roma, Lazio and Milan were essential, the most significant results of the weekend perhaps came in Turin and Florence.
Juventus rounded out the Week 29 calendar, beating Empoli 2-0 and securing three more points in their quest to retain the league title they have held since 2012. Yet even that match—reviewed in detail here—was undoubtedly overshadowed by Fiorentina’s win over Sampdoria by the same scoreline, with Vincenzo Montella’s men leapfrogging the Blucerchiati and moving into fourth place in the table.
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It also brought them within six points of the top three, a huge incentive for the Viola to continue the form which has seen them lose just once in their last 19 outings. That run has seen them reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League, while they also hold a narrow 2-1 advantage over Juventus after the first leg of their Coppa Italia clash.
The Bianconeri, despite awaiting next week’s Champions League meeting with AS Monaco, are determined to advance despite that deficit however, with Massimiliano Allegri stressing the importance of the competition during a recent Q&A session with supporters.
“It’s been a long time since we won the Coppa Italia,” the 47-year-old said via the club’s official Twitter account. “We can overturn the first-leg and will give our all to secure the trophy!”
Having failed to win the cup since back in 1995, fans will hope the team can do just that, starting by eliminating Fiorentina on Tuesday evening.
Date: Tuesday, April 7
Time: 8:45 p.m. CET (7:45 p.m. BST / 2:45 p.m. EDT)
Venue: Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence
TV Info: Sky Sports 3 (UK) beINSports (U.S.)
Live Stream: beIN Sports CONNECT (U.S.)
Form Lines
Last five domestic results:
Predicted Lineups
FIORENTINA (4-3-3): Neto; Richards, Rodriguez, Basanta, Alonso; Fernandez, Pizarro, Valero; Salah, Gomez, Diamanti
Key Battle
Following his impact upon the first leg, it will be interesting to see how Juventus cope with the threat posed by Mohamed Salah this time around. Patrice Evra is likely to be handed that task, possessing far more natural ability at left-back than the unfortunate Simone Padoin, who allowed the Egyptian to run unhindered for that spectacular opening goal.
A savvy and experienced veteran, the Frenchman would have undoubtedly hauled down Salah early in that breakaway, even at the expense of an almost-certain yellow card. The on-loan Chelsea star has nevertheless been superb since arriving in Serie A, recording seven goals and two assists so far for the Viola.
Evra has similarly impressed since leaving the Premier League behind, shrugging off his early struggles to become Juve’s first choice at full-back. He has been a solid defender and contributed well to the attack, making him fully deserving of his recent international recall after a sustained period of good form.
Player to Watch
If Salah holds the key to Fiorentina’s hopes of success, the same must be said of Carlos Tevez, the striker at the heart of everything positive for the Bianconeri this season. The Argentinian has already netted an incredible 25 goals in all competitions thus far, also adding nine assists as he constantly lifts Juventus to victory.
Tevez is almost certain to start this encounter, testament to the Turin club’s aforementioned desire to progress in the Coppa Italia. With the 31-year-old in the side, Allegri can be confident his players will do all they can to overturn the deficit, his tireless effort constantly rubbing off on those around him and ensuring they do all they can to secure a win.
Commenting on the striker’s form after the recent win over Genoa, the coach told Sky Italia that Tevez was enjoying “a remarkable season” (h/t Football Italia) before going on to discuss the ability possessed by the former Manchester City star.
“He has great technique, I leave him free to move around a bit more and I think that’s important for him,” Allegri continued. “You can tell a champion by the way he moves and shakes off the marking, even without having to run that much.”
If Tevez can continue his current irrepressible form on Tuesday, he could well help the Bianconeri end their long-overdue wait for cup glory, which was the subject of this previous column.
Odds (via Odds Checker)
Home win: 23/10
Away win: 13/10
Draw: 5/2
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