Fresh from success in Europe, Juventus will try to revive their Serie A title challenge on Saturday night, when they play host to rock-bottom Venezia.
Juve stunned Manchester City in the Champions League earlier this week, but a series of domestic draws have dented dreams of reclaiming the Scudetto.
Match preview
Dusan Vlahovic celebrates with Khephren Thuram for Juventus on December 11, 2024© Imago
Giving a shot in the arm to their Champions League campaign on Wednesday evening, Juventus beat the English champions 2-0 in Turin, piling more misery on Pep Guardiola's faltering City side.
Strikes from Dusan Vlahovic and Weston McKennie - plus a couple of super saves from recalled goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio - helped Juve secure a win that took them up to 14th in the league phase table, meaning they trail the top eight by just two points with two games remaining.
They may have shut out a sub-par Man City, but Thiago Motta's men have uncharacteristically conceded goals in both of their last two league fixtures - they have yet to go three without keeping a clean sheet since Motta took charge.
Under his watch, Juventus have faced the fewest shots and fewest shots on target per game in the Italian top flight, but they are not always fluent at the other end despite some lavish summer spending.
Occupying sixth place after fighting back to draw 2-2 with Bologna last weekend, the Bianconeri have now shared the spoils in nine of their first 15 Serie A matches - and they have not won so few games at this stage of a season since 2001.
Nonetheless, Juve are the only team still unbeaten, and they can claim to be in contention for three trophies as things stand; the third being the Coppa Italia, in which they will start their defence against Cagliari next week.
Gaetano Oristanio of Venezia, November 2024© Imago
Having lost all of their last 10 top-flight meetings with Juventus in Turin, conceding goals at an average of 2.8 per game, Venezia are up against both form and precedent this weekend.
The Lagunari's last league success against Juve dates all the way back to April 1962, and few would bet on them ending that drought at the Allianz Stadium, due to their dismal start to the season.
Three points adrift of safety, last term's Serie B playoff winners have posted only two victories so far - and none since October - in addition to exiting the Coppa Italia.
Only Gaetano Oristanio's second-half equaliser salvaged a draw with fellow strugglers Como last week, when Venezia once again squandered an advantage.
Eusebio Di Francesco's side have now spilled some 16 points from leading positions since earning promotion, which is the joint-most across all clubs in Europe's top five leagues, along with Valencia - notably, 11 were lost on the road.
Not surprisingly, then, the Arancioneroverdi have claimed the fewest points and hold the worst defensive record away from home, having shipped 17 goals on their travels.
Juventus Serie A form:
Juventus form (all competitions):
Venezia Serie A form:
Team News
Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz on October 19, 2024© Imago
Juventus have recently welcomed several players back from injury - Dusan Vlahovic, Weston McKennie, Nicolo Savona and Douglas Luiz all featured on Wednesday - but it remains to be seen whether Andrea Cambiaso can recover from an ankle sprain in time to face Venezia.
Nico Gonzalez is closing in on a return, but ACL victims Juan Cabal and Bremer will again join Arkadiusz Milik on the sidelines.
Three of the four youngest players to record multiple goals and assists in Serie A this season could be involved on Saturday, as Juve pair Kenan Yildiz and Samuel Mbangula - scorer of the Bianconeri's late leveller against Bologna - are set to feature at some stage.
The other member of that trio, Gaetano Oristanio, should line up behind Venezia's lone striker Joel Pohjanpalo.
A familiar face will return to Turin, as Hans Nicolussi Caviglia - who made his top-flight debut for Juventus in 2019 - is a mainstay of the Lagunari's engine room. He has scored three goals in Serie A this season - one more than all of Juve's central midfielders combined.
Eusebio Di Francesco - recent recipient of a vote of confidence from the club board - will be without Alfred Duncan and Richie Sagrado due to injury.
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Di Gregorio; Savona, Kalulu, Gatti, Rouhi; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Yildiz; Vlahovic
Venezia possible starting lineup:
Stankovic; Idzes, Svoboda, Altare; Candela, Doumbia, Nicolussi Caviglia, Zampano; Busio, Oristanio; Pohjanpalo
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We say: Juventus 3-0 Venezia
Full of confidence from their midweek feats, Juventus should steamroll a limited Venezia side that will struggle to avoid relegation.
The hosts often fail to convert one point into three, but with several players returning, they are surely set to record back-to-back wins.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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