On the heels of positive run which saw the team winning the last five matches in all competitions, Juventus welcome Roma at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
The two sides have previously met on match-day 2, when Cristiano Ronaldo equalized the score twice as the reigning Italian champions escaped the capital with a 2-2 draw.
Whilst Andrea Pirlo fortunately has most of his players at his disposal – with Paulo Dybala and Aaron Rasmey being out with injuries and Rodrigo Bentancur serving a one match suspension – his counterpart is having much more difficulties in picking his lineups.
Paulo Fonseca will be without his most experienced defender, Chris Smalling, as well as his best midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini.
To make matters worse for the Giallorossi, Pedro is still out with an injury, while Edin Dzeko’s position with the squad remains unclear after falling out with the Portuguese coach a couple of weeks ago.
Nonetheless, the capital side remains a dangerous team to play against, and their current 3rd position in the league means that they can’t be taken lightly at all.
Therefore, we chose the three Roma players that Juve must look out for the most.
Marash Kumbulla
The young Albanian defender was rumored to be a target for the Old Lady after an impressive 19/20 season at Hellas Verona.
The 20-year-old ended up joining Fonseca’s side, and he’s slowly beginning to cement himself a starting position at the back.
Blessed with a great physique and excellent anticipation, Kumbulla could be the toughest to beat for Ronaldo and company among Roma’s defensive bunch.
Jordan Veretout
The Frenchman’s brace against the defending champions was arguably the best highlight of his career, but he’ll surely be looking to replicate his heroics one again.
In the absence of Pellegrini, the former Fiorentina man will have a major role to play, especially in terms of creating the play.
Borja Mayoral
The man of the hour in the capital. Mayoral took advantage of the outburst between Fonseca and Dzeko to become Roma’s prime center forward.
The Spanish striker has so far made sure that the Bosnian isn’t dearly missed, as he’s been scoring in pretty much every match that he plays.
The Bianconeri defenders will have their hands full with this one.
