Competition: Italian Serie A 2016-17
Date: Sunday, 5th March, 14:00 GMT
Stadium: Dacia Arena.
Udinese vs Juventus Preview and Prediction
Udinese are in free fall and unlikely to halt their slide as they host a rampant Juventus at the Dacia Arena.
The Zebrette are in wretched form, suffering three straight defeats and without a win since a 2-1 home triumph against Milan on January 29. Their poor form is not a mere blip and the Friuliani have taken only five points from nine rounds, sliding to 14th place in the table. Possibly most worryingly of all for Coach Luigi Del Neri is that they have been absolutely toothless in attack during this run, scoring only four times.
On the contrary, five in a row Scudetto winners Juventus have been ruthless and efficient since an away defeat to Fiorentina on January 15. After that setback, Coach Max Allegri decided to switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation and the results have been emphatic. The Bianconeri have since won six in a row in Serie A plus three more in the Coppa Italia and Champions League, leaving them within touching distance of the Coppa Final and the Champions League last eight. Allegri’s men also currently enjoy a seven-point lead over second placed Roma in the Scudetto race and confidence is sky high amongst his squad.
Del Neri will likely shape the home side in a 4-3-3 formation against the Champions on Sunday. La Vecchia Signora are renowned for being miserly in defence and penetrating their rearguard will be a massive challenge for Udinese. They will surely look to Rodrigo De Paul, returning from suspension, to attack from the right flank and encourage Duvan Zapata and Cyril Thereau to exploit any chance to peel on to the brilliant but diminutive Dani Alves at the back post.
Massive responsibility will be placed on the shoulders of experienced Brazilian defensive duo Danilo and Felipe to ensure The Zebrette are compact and resilient. Udinese are suspension-free, as Emil Hallfredsson also returns, but Marco Faraoni will face a fitness test to determine his availability.
Juventus are almost certain to stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation that has served them so well of late. Free-scoring, summer signing Gonzalo Higuaín will be supported by Juan Cuadrado, Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic in attack. This formation can put a heavy burden on midfield duo Miralem Pjanic and Sami Khedira, and the work rate of Cuadrado and Mandzukic will be essential in helping out. Allegri has a full squad at his disposal with no injuries or suspensions to contend with.
Perhaps not even the most optimistic Udinese supporter expects them to obtain a positive result in this fixture. Juventus look as ravenous for success as ever and one cannot see them allowing Del Neri’s struggling side to stand in the way of their six in a row Scudetto dream.
Keep an eye on: Paulo Dybala (Juventus) – His pace, intelligence and technique give the Bianconeri options galore. His critics, however, feel he has to do more away from home. He has scored all but one of his seven Serie A strikes in Turin so far this campaign. He surely has too much class to let these quiet away days continue.
Last season: Udinese 0-4 Juventus
Stat fact: Udinese haven’t triumphed in this fixture since a 3-0 win against The Old Lady in April 2010. They have drawn twice and lost four of the last six meetings in Udine, scoring just one goal and conceding 14.
Top Tip: Juventus to win to nil
Udinese (probable): Karnezis; Widmer, Danilo, Felipe, Samir; Badu, Kums, Fofana; De Paul, Duvan Zapata, Thereau
Suspended: None
Juventus (probable): Buffon; Alves, Bonucci, Rugani, Alex Sandro; Pjanic, Khedira; Cuadrado, Dybala, Mandzukic; Higuain
Suspended: None
