Juventus will be looking to bounce back from a disastrous outing in midweek UEFA Champions League action when they take on Como in Saturday’s Serie A top-four six-pointer.
Luciano Spalletti’s side suffered a humiliating 5-2 defeat at Galatasaray in the first leg of their knockout play-off tie on Tuesday, finding themselves on the brink of elimination from Europe’s elite competition.
Advertisement
That embarrassing loss in Istanbul only added insult to injury following a controversial 3-2 defeat at Inter Milan in last weekend’s Derby d’Italia at Stadio San Siro.
Spalletti lost the tactical chess match against Cristian Chivu, largely thanks to a huge refereeing mistake. Indeed, Federico La Penna sent off Pierre Kalulu on the stroke of half-time, failing to spot Alessandro Bastoni’s dive.
More importantly, the Nerazzurri centre-back had also been on a yellow card when he theatrically went to ground, exaggerating the contact to influence La Penna’s decisive call.
Kalulu’s expulsion left Juventus with a mountain to climb in the second half, but they fought valiantly until the end, only for Piotr Zielinski’s superb mid-range finish to undo all the hard work.
Advertisement
Now trailing fourth-placed Roma by a point, the record-time Italian champions cannot afford another slip-up, especially considering visiting Como entered this round only four points adrift of the Bianconeri.
Redemption time
This fixture has all the makings of a must-win clash for Juventus, with their top-four hopes hanging in the balance and a need to restore a feel-good factor after three defeats in their last four matches (D1).
Worryingly for Spalletti, his underperforming side conceded at least three goals in each of those three losses, having kept a clean sheet in three of their four previous games across all competitions.
Advertisement
However, the Turin giants can draw confidence from their formidable Serie A record at the Allianz Stadium this season. They’re one of only two teams yet to lose a home league outing (W7, D5).
It’s also worth noting that Juventus hammered Como 3-0 in this corresponding fixture last season.
Yet, there’s no room for complacency, as they lost 2-0 at Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia in October, marking their first league defeat to this opposition since 1952.
Surprise package
Cesc Fabregas has transformed Como into genuine top-four contenders, as most recently evidenced by a spirited 1-1 draw at title-bidding AC Milan on Wednesday, which saw Nico Paz score his ninth league goal of the season.
Advertisement
Paz’s first-half heroics went in vain as Rafael Leao drew the Rossoneri level, denying the Lariani their first league win in three matches (D2, L1) and leaving them five points behind Roma.
Leaving the comforts of their home stadium won’t faze the visitors much, considering they had won three consecutive away league games before being held at San Siro.
Adding to Como’s optimism, they netted precisely three goals in four of their last six road fixtures across all competitions, including a remarkable 3-0 rout of Lazio in mid-January.
However, Fabregas’ men have developed a nasty habit of faltering on high-profile Serie A travels, failing to secure a single win across six away clashes against current top-eight sides this season (D3, L3).
Advertisement
Team news
In addition to the suspended Kalulu, Juventus will be without their defensive cornerstone, Gleison Bremer, who limped off the pitch on Tuesday, forcing Spalletti to introduce Federico Gatti.
Gatti is likely to take the Brazilian’s place this weekend.
Meanwhile, this meeting will come too soon for long-term absentees Arkadiusz Milik and Dusan Vlahovic, while Emil Holm also remains on the sidelines with a foot injury.
Out-of-form striker Jonathan David is expected to be at Spalletti’s disposal, but he’s more likely to start from the bench, with Weston McKennie emerging as a favourite to lead the line.
How Juventus could line up
(3-4-2-1): Di Gregorio; Gatti, Kelly, Koopmeiners; Cambiaso, Locatelli, Thuram, Cabal; Conceicao, Yildiz; McKennie
Read the full article here
