This week is set to be a huge one for Juventus, taking on Palermo, Lazio and Fiorentina, hoping to at least maintain their advantage over closest rivals Napoli. The Bianconeri head into that run of games with a six-point lead at the top of the table, knowing a win in the first fixture is essential.

By the time they kick off against the Sicilian side, coach Massimiliano Allegri and his players will know the result of Napoli’s clash with Inter Milan and could deliver a fatal blow in the Serie A title race.

“We’ve still got a long way to go in order to win the Scudetto,” the Juve boss said at a press conference last week, then going on explain the reasons behind the incredible form shown by the reigning champions.

This is a true group effort that derives from the club’s support of the manager and players, who have been excellent from the tenth matchday onwards. Winning five Scudetto titles in a row isn’t something that happens every five years, but we’ve the chance to do so this season.

We need to stay calm and courageous, but also enjoy the ride, taking each match at a time. The ability to focus on the game at hand has undoubtedly been one of our main strengths.

Their next outing should be much simpler than last weekend’s tough clash with AC Milan, with Palermo falling rapidly down the standings after failing to record a win in any of their last 11 Serie A fixtures.

They have also sacked their coach a staggering nine times this term and conceded more goals (57) than any team other than Frosinone’s tally of 60, prompting president Maurizio Zamparini to concede defeat.

“We already have one foot in Serie B, we don’t have the mentality to survive,” the club owner told Radio 24 (h/t Football Italia). “We are not accustomed to battling it out with the same situations as Carpi and Frosinone.”

Juventus will be further boosted by a reduced injury list, with former Palermo striker Paulo Dybala returning to training this week, per the club’s official website. Sami Khedira will also return from suspension, meaning Allegri will have almost a full squad of players to choose from for the first time in a number of weeks.

They will of course need to guard against complacency, but there is little doubt that the Bianconeri have the quality to sweep their opponents aside and notch three more points in their pursuit of history.

 

Date: Sunday, April 17, 2016

Time: 2 p.m. BST/9 a.m. ET

Venue: Juventus Stadium, Turin

TV Info: BT Sport 2 (UK), beIN Sports 1 (USA)

Live Stream: BT Connect (UK)

 

Form Lines

Last five domestic results:

Atalanta 0-2 Juventus	Inter Milan 3-1 Palermo
Juventus 1-0 Sassuolo	Palermo 0-1 Napoli
Torino 1-4 Juventus	Empoli 0-0 Palermo
Juventus 1-0 Empoli	Chievo 3-1 Palermo
AC Milan 1-2 Juventus	Palermo 0-3 Lazio

Probable Formations

Juventus (3-5-2): Gigi Buffon; Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, Daniele Rugani; Juan Cuadrado, Sami Khedira, Hernanes, Paul Pogba, Patrice Evra; Mario Mandzukic, Alvaro Morata

Unavailable: Simone Zaza (suspended), Giorgio Chiellini, Martin Caceres and Roberto Pereyra (all injured)

Palermo: (4-3-1-2): Stefano Sorrentino; Aljaz Struna, Giancarlo Gonzalez, Sinisa Andelkovic, Achraf Lazaar; Oscar Hiljemark, Mato Jajalo, Gaston Brugman; Franco Vazquez, Alberto Gilardino, Aleksandar Trajkovski

Unavailable: Robin Quaison (suspended) and Edoardo Goldaniga (injured)

 

Key Battle

Given Palermo’s woeful defensive performances this term, the key for them here is likely to be shutting out a Bianconeri attack that has scored 58 goals this term, the third-highest mark in Serie A.

Croatia international Mario Mandzukic has ended a lengthy personal drought to net in each of his last two appearances, and Stefano Sorrentino’s ability to deny him a third consecutive strike will be vital.

Their head-to-head battle is likely to play a major role in deciding the outcome of this fixture, and it was discussed in further detail in this previous post.

 

Player to Watch

While restricting the chances given to the likes of Mandzukic and Dybala will be key for the Rosanero, their own attacking threat rests almost entirely on the shoulders of the Argentinian-born Franco Vazquez.

The 27-year-old forward—who has won two international caps for Italy—has continued the good form he displayed last season, weighing in with five goals and seven assists so far in the 2015/16 campaign.

According to statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, his average of 3.4 dribbles per game is the best mark in Serie A, with the above graphic showing just how effective he has been at taking on defenders.

Fortunately for Juventus, Vazquez has been wasteful in front of goal this term, with Squawka.com highlighting his poor shooting accuracy, which has seen him hit the target with just 36 percent of his attempts.

 

Odds (via Odds Shark)

Away win: 16-1

Home win: 1-5

Draw: 11-2

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