On Sunday night, Juventus will try to close in on the top four spots in the Serie A table when they host Roma at the Allianz Stadium.
It goes without saying that the meeting between Max Allegri and José Mourinho will probably turn into a rigid tactical battle.
So will the Livorno native be able to outsmart the Special One?
Here are three keys which could help the Bianconeri in overcoming their capital foes.
Exploiting the Space
As witnessed in some of their recent performances (especially in the Derby loss against Lazio), the defensive partnership of Gianluca Mancini and Roger Ibanez tend to leave some spaces at the back.
This is the type of defenses that Federico Chiesa shines against, and the Italian will be looking to punish his opponents with his venomous counter attack.
Conserving Energy
This won’t be the first time that Juventus face a high-caliber Serie A opponent this season, as the Old Lady already clashed heads with Milan and Napoli last month.
On both occasions, the Bianconeri went to the half time break with a one-goal lead, but they ended up losing against the Southerners and wasting the win against the Rossoneri.
While the majority of Allegri’s players will be back from the international break, conserving their physical and mental energy until the final stages of the match can be a crucial element to avoid another late collapse.
Surrounding Pellegrini
The Roman captain is the heart and soul of the Giallorossi side, and we all saw how the team looked almost confused in his absence against Lazio.
The former Sassuolo man is suffering from a fever, but one would expect him to shake it off before Sunday and start the crucial match against the the Old Lady.
In Mourinho’s system, most of the plays must pass through the Italian international, and therefore, Manuel Locatelli and Rodrigo Bentancur must make sure to limit his danger, because if they fail to contain him properly, the midfield battle could be lost.
