Juventus   V   Sampdoria

Serie A  – Week 15 [14th December 2014 – 11:30 UK ]  – Juventus Stadium

Juventus

One could think these are easy going times for Juventus. After all, the club just qualified for the elimination rounds of the Champions League. One would be wrong for thinking so, though. In fact Juventus have a tough run coming up. They face three games in about eight days: this game versus Sampdoria, another Serie A match against Cagliari, and then finally, the SuperCoppa versus Napoli in Qatar.

There is also an added layer of difficulty for this match: Giorgio Chiellini is suspended for this match due to yellow card accumulation. Per usual this is where Juve’s depth comes in quite handy.

With Chiellini out, look to see Angelo Ogbonna taking his place. Leonardo Bonucci will start as his partner. Gianluigi Buffon will of course be behind the two in goal. Out wide, Stephan Lichtsteiner will start at right back. On the left side, Patrice Evra and Simone Padoin are battling for the start, but Padoin is reportedly the favorite for this match.

It’s a bit more complicated in the midfield. Claudio Marchisio is back from the flu which held him out for the match versus Atletico. However, it’s not known if he will definitely start. He’s expected to take the place of one of Paul Pogba or Arturo Vidal, but again we will have to see what Allegri decides. It’s possible that Marchisio doesn’t start, but since Allegri didn’t use any subs versus Atletico, he probably wants to rest someone. Vidal is the obvious choice based on general form,  but that’s just my reasoning, Max could be thinking differently. Andrea Pirlo is very likely to start, as is Roberto Pereyra.

Finally up top it is the same old story: Carlos Tevez will start, and it’s widely reported that Alvaro Morata will start too. Here a disclaimer is needed: almost every week it seems Morata is reportedly getting the start. Then, Fernando Llorente starts. This happened with Atletico, and it has happened plenty of times before. For now, let’s say Morata gets the start as Llorente played a full 90 minutes versus Atletico, but don’t be surprised if he starts versus Sampdoria as well.

Predicted Lineup

4-3-1-2 :  Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Ogbonna, Padoin; Pirlo, Pogba, Marchisio, Pereyra; Tevez, Morata

Injuries

Andrea Barzagli (Heel), Luca Marrone (Thigh), Martin Caceres (Thigh), Kwadwo Asamoah and Romulo  (Both undergone knee surgery)

Suspended: Giorgio Chiellini

Sampdoria

Sampdoria are the second most surprising team of the season, behind only the crosstown rival Genoa, as they are in fourth position, having already collected 25 points. They have lost only once this season (against Inter) and Sinisa Mihajlovic is certainly doing a masterful job and earning credentials to move to a top team in the near future.

Even if they have been impressive, Sampdoria haven’t won ‘the big one’ yet: they haven’t been able to defeat the big clubs, even if they performed well. They drew against Napoli, Milan and Roma and they lost against Inter. Moreover, they have been average on the road, with only two wins in seven matches (four draws, one loss), mostly against lesser opponents. In Sunday’s lunch match, they’ll have the chance to make some noise.

They’ll be without their usual starting RB Lorenzo De Silvestri and also Matias Silvestre will probably be sidelined with a calf injury: Fabrizio Cacciatore is set to replace the former Lazio fullback, while Daniele Gastaldello and Alessio Romagnoli are likely to start in the hearth of the defense. Djamel Mesbah seems to have recently leapfrogged Vasco Regini in the hierarchy at LB, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Sinisa opted for the most defensive option. There’s a little uncertainty on goal: Sergio Romero has featured in the last eight games and he has played great at times, but he also hasn’t eliminated those blunders that too often held him back. Emiliano VIviano, who was acquired in the summer, is now completely healthy.

As for the rest of the lineup, Mihajlovic has two options: 4-3-1-2 and 4-3-3. In the first case, the youngster Luca Rizzo, one of the this season’s breakout players, will flank the captain Angelo Palombo and the powerhouse Pedro Obiang in the middle, with the surging Roberto Soriano behind the two strikers. In the second solution, Manolo Gabbiadini, Stefano Okaka and Eder would compose the offensive trident, with Soriano fielded as central midfielder.

It appears that Mihajlovic is leaning towards 4-3-1-2 both because Gabbiadini might not be completely focused on the game, for some reasons I imagine you already know, and because it looks that the diamond will be the way going forward, once the Juventus co-owned striker will be ultimately sold to Napoli. Anyway, thanks to the rise of Rizzo and other valuable substitutes like Nenad Krsticic and Alfred Duncan, they don’t really skip a beat with that tactic. They are more dangerous upfront with the trident formed by three players that can naturally play as centre-forward, but 4-3-1-2 gives them a lot of stability in the middle.

Stefano Okaka has been their best performer so far, even if others have scored more. He’s a bull that constantly keeps two or three defenders busy, he’s big but mobile and he has some nice moves. Once he’ll start scoring consistently, watch out.

Sampdoria approaches the game with a lot of enthusiasm, due the recent good results and the hilarious president Massimo Ferrero. They’ll come in with a purpose as they haven’t beaten a top club yet and they want to reach the next level. In particular, Juventus will have to be extra cautious in committing fouls in dangerous areas, because Sampdoria are very good in both direct and indirect free kicks. In addition, Sampdoria are very aggressive and they have the second best defense in the League (tied with Roma and Sampdoria).

Predicted Lineup:

4-3-1-2: Romero; Cacciatore, Gastaldello, Romagnoli, Mesbah; Rizzo, Palombo, Obiang; Soriano; Okaka, Eder

Injuries

Lorenzo De Silvestri and Matias Silvestre

Formation