Juventus have the opportunity to continue their unbeaten run through the Serie A season when they entertain AS Roma at the Allianz Stadium this weekend. The Bianconeri have dropped just two points from the opening 16 league matches and this sees them comfortably at the top of the table with an eight-point advantage over second-placed Napoli.
Roma, on the other hand, have struggled to replicate the showing from the previous season and a run of just two victories from the last eight matches sees them 22 points behind the league leaders. However, their Champions League qualification hopes are very much alive with just three points separating them from AC Milan in the fourth position.
Key statistics ahead of the encounter
Juventus have allowed just eight goals in their domestic campaign this term and this is currently the second-best defensive record across Europe’s top-five leagues with Liverpool only ahead of them.
Meanwhile, Roma have struggled to score goals regularly on their visits to the Bianconeri and they have netted just two times during their past eight away trips to the Allianz Stadium in Turin.
As such, they are without a victory in seven of those matches with the past three meetings producing a similar 1-0 scoreline in the favour of the home side in Juventus.
Player to watch for:
Cristiano Ronaldo – Juventus: Bianconeri boss Max Allegri has confirmed that Ronaldo would be rested for at least one game before the winter break but that is however expected to be against either Atalanta or Sampdoria. In this case, the Portuguese should feature from the off in the preferred left-wing role and his precise movement and finishing attributes should pose a threat for the Giallorossi backline, which has looked vulnerable of late with two goals conceded in each of the past three league games. Ronaldo has featured against Roma in the Champions League previously where he has attained an impressive record of five goals and two assists from just six matches. In the Serie A this term, he has equally impressed with 16 goals (11 goals and five assists) from as many appearances.
Prediction:
Roma will have Edin Dzeko in the squad after his recent return from a muscular problem but even his presence may not be sufficient to get the better of a resolute Bianconeri backline, which has kept five successive Serie A clean sheets.
Juventus 1-0 Roma
Image – Getty