Verona vs. Juventus: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream and TV Info
The final day of the Serie A season sees newly crowned champions Juventus head to the city of Verona, playing one final match before moving on to Berlin to take on Barcelona in the Champions League final. The Bianconeri are likely to field a weakened lineup with that huge clash in mind, but their opponents will certainly be looking to cause an upset on Sunday.
Sitting in 13th place, Hellas Verona also have very little left to play for, already unable to qualify for Europe and not in danger of relegation. Andrea Mandorlini’s men will be keen to make amends for their two previous clashes with the Turin giants, losing 6-1 in the cup and then 4-0 in the league back in January.
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For Massimiliano Allegri, the encounter presents one last chance to run the rule over his squad, with perhaps one or two places in his XI for the Champions League final still up for grabs. The likes of Roberto Pereyra and Stefano Sturaro—who both netted against Napoli last weekend—will each hope to stake a claim for one of those spots, while others will simply hope to avoid injury.
Having secured the club’s fourth consecutive domestic crown weeks ago, the Juventus boss has been able to rest players in recent outings, yet the wins have continued to pile up. They will hope to add three more points here, before heading off to face Lionel Messi and Co. at the Olympiastadion next Saturday.
Date: Sunday, May 31, 2015
Time: 8.45 p.m. CET (7.45 p.m. BST/2.45 p.m. EDT)
Venue: Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi, Verona
TV Info: BT Sport (U.K.)
Live Stream: BeIn Sports Connect (U.S.)
Form Lines
Last five domestic results:
Predicted Lineups
Hellas Verona: (4-3-3): Rafael; Sala, Marquez, Moras, Agostini; Obadi, Tachtsidis, Hallfredsson; Jankovic, Toni, Fernandinho
Juventus: (4-3-2-1): Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Chiellini, Evra; Pogba, Marchisio, Sturaro; Vidal, Tevez; Morata
Player to Watch
While not the biggest name in the Juventus squad, Stefano Sturaro is quickly making a name for himself in Turin. The midfielder only arrived in January, having spent the first half of the season with Genoa—the club his career began with and where the Bianconeri first spotted his talent.
He has delivered beyond all expectations, earning the trust of Allegri and the respect of his new team-mates with a string of confident displays. Sturaro is a hardworking and intelligent player, but as his goal against Napoli last weekend showed, he also possesses serious technical ability.
The 22-year-old displays a maturity beyond his years, and he was a surprise starter in the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid. Despite the huge pressure of the occasion, he looked assured once again and will hope to see some playing time against Barcelona next week.
Key Battle
Luca Toni is undoubtedly the danger man for Hellas Verona, the veteran striker heading into this weekend with a one-goal lead at the top of the Serie A goalscoring charts. Both Mauro Icardi of Inter and Juve’s own Carlos Tevez will hope to overhaul him, but the World Cup winner is in excellent form.
Netting 10 goals in his last 11 appearances, the 38-year-old would be the oldest player ever to win the honour, but he may find it more difficult against the tough Bianconeri defence. Indeed, when Toni played against them back in January, he failed to get a single shot on target in 90 minutes of action.
That was against Juve’s first-choice central-defensive partnership of Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, however, and he is likely to come up against Angelo Ogbonna here. The 27-year-old has endured a difficult campaign, but he will look to end it on a high by keeping Toni under wraps.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
Away win: 100/147
Home win: 207/50
Draw: 68/25
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