Juventus will pay a visit to Cremonese on Wednesday, hoping to continue their ascent in the Serie A standings.
Juventus ended their competitive season for 2022 on a high note despite a tumultuous autumn when they struggled in domestic competition and were disgracefully eliminated from the Champions League. As we move into the new year, aspirations of a Scudetto challenge are even back on the table.
Juventus had a strong finish before Qatar 2022 got in the way, and their 3-0 victory over fellow top-four challengers Lazio in Nov was their sixth consecutive win in Serie A, moving them up to third place at the end of the first phase of the season.
Although defending champions Milan are a more manageable 2 points clear in second place, Massimiliano Allegri’s team still has a 10-point deficit to make up to Napoli, who are outpacing the competition by a wide margin. Juventus has put together such a strong run of play without giving up a goal, and the last time they won more straight games with a clean sheet was in 2018, during Allegri’s incredibly successful first season in charge of the team.
Since then, his comeback hasn’t exactly gone as planned. The 36-time Italian champions have lagged behind the Milan teams in Serie A, and the recent departure of his board supporters, including chairman Andrea Agnelli and vice-chair Pavel Nedved, has further complicated matters.
Not only have Juventus defeated Verona, Lecce, and city rivals Torino by identical 1-0 scores in their last three away games, but their opponents on Wednesday have yet to win a league game this year and have never defeated the Bianconeri in Italy’s top division.
Each of the previous three teams without a win after 15 Serie A games finished last and were relegated, so coach Massimiliano Alvini has his work cut out for him to defy such precedent in the second half of the season.
After more than two decades away from the top tier of Calcio, his team is currently in 18th place, and they are joined in the bottom three by fellow underachievers Sampdoria and Hellas Verona.
With seven draws from their seven games thus far, Cremonese are six points behind 17th-placed Spezia. Their inability to score goals has caused them to settle for a single point on numerous occasions when three may have been possible.
The Grigiorossi disbanded in November after scoring just twice in their previous five league games, and their last three home games at Stadio Giovanni Zini saw them go scoreless. Despite having the home advantage in the middle of the week, Juventus’ resurgence will require a stunning comeback in the new year.
Juventus Team News
Due to a groyne issue, Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic may be out for the next two weeks. Captain Leonardo Bonucci is also out with an adductor injury, and Paul Pogba is still a ways off from returning to full training. Federico Chiesa is expected to play despite sitting out the final preseason friendly against Standard Liege, and Juan Cuadrado has recovered from a knee injury.
Paredes and Angel Di Maria will not be rushed for selection on Wednesday because they have just returned from their World Cup celebrations.
In place of Vlahovic up front in a likely 3-5-2, Moise Kean, who finished with 3 goals in his last 2 matches before the break scoring a brace against Lazio and scoring the game-winning goal against Verona will partner with Milik.
Danilo, Bremer, and Alex Sandro could start as an all-Brazilian back three without Bonucci.
Possible Lineup
Szczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Moise Kean, Milik
Cremonese Team News
Meanwhile, veteran center-back Vlad Chiriches will be out for Cremonese in midweek, which means Matteo Bianchetti could replace Jack Hendry at the centre of the hosts’ defence. Cremonese, who lost their most recent competitive game 2-0 to Empoli and were defeated by Udinese in their final friendly of 2022, will be without Chiriches. Although Alex Ferrari is anticipated to confirm his departure from Sampdoria soon, he won’t make it in time.
Spanish teams are interested in midfielder Gonzalo Escalante, who was not included in the team that lost to Udinese and is likely moving in the opposite direction. Despite their modest goal totals so far this season, Cyriel Dessers and David Okereke are expected to start up front for the Grigiorossi.
Possible Lineup
Carnesecchi; Sernicola, Hendry, Bianchetti, Valeri; Meite, Castagnetti, Pickel; Buonaiuto, David Okereke; Dessers
Cremonese will need to be at their best if they hope to come away with a result against Juventus. The home team will need to defend well and make the most of their opportunities on the attack if they hope to cause an upset. While Juventus are the obvious favourites but they still need to watch out bottom table Cremonese side.
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