After beating the Premier League champions in impressive fashion on Wednesday, one would expect Juventus to make short work of the team residing at rock bottom of the Serie A table. Nevertheless, these analogies hardly work in football, especially with how Thiago Motta’s band has been crookedly navigating this term.
So when the Bianconeri host Venezia on Saturday night, they better shake off all signs of hangover that followed the Man City victory and be prepared for a fight, as undermining their lowly opponents is a recipe for disaster.
Moreover, the Old Lady can ill-afford to drop more points in Serie A after settling for draws in their last three outings against Milan, Lecce and Bologna, as the Top Five clubs are slowly getting out of sight.
And even though Venezia arguably have the weakest squad in the league (perfectly illustrated by their league standing), they still possess the sort of hungry players who could easily be inspired by the bright lights and unique glamour of the Allianz Stadium.
So here are three players from Eusebio Di Francesco’s ranks who can cause problems for the Bianconeri this evening.
Filip Stankovic (Goalkeeper)
The Serbian goalkeeper is enjoying a superb debut season in Serie A, at least on an individual level. The 22-year-old is the son of Inter legend Dejan Stankovic who was once close to joining Juventus before being rejected by the crowds in Turin.
So as you can imagine, the young custodian has little love for the Old Lady, and he’ll be looking to produce another impressive display while knowing that his parent club Inter will be particularly interested in how he fares in this one.
Nicolussi Caviglia will return to the Allianz Stadium
Hans Nicolussi Caviglia (Central Midfielder)
Juventus know a thing or two about former players who return to haunt them, and based on Caviglia’s stats this season, you wouldn’t bet against him scoring in front of his old supporters.
The 24-year-old is the one pulling the strings in the middle of the park for the Venetians, but he’s also given the license to roam forward and try his luck with long-range efforts, and he has already repaid his coach’s trust by scoring three goals and had another one disallowed last weekend.
Gaetano Oristanio (Attacking Midfielder)
If Venezia are going to survive, they will need Oristanio to deliver the goods week in week out, as he’s arguably the club’s most talented attacking player.
The former Inter man can wreak havoc in the final third with his daring runs, neat dribbling and eye for goal. He has thus far scored two goals and produced as many assists.