Stadio Brianteo is the venue as Monza and Juventus go head-to-head in a ‘David vs Goliath’ Serie A showdown. It will be the closing fixture of Sunday’s program but potentially also Alessandro Nesta’s last game in charge of the relegation-threatenedRossoblu.
Deeply embroiled in a relegation scrap, Nesta’s men sit level on points with rock-bottom Venezia and five adrift of 17th-placed Hellas Verona pre-round. With Verona slumping to a 1-0 home defeat to Milan on Friday, Monza could close the distance with a shock win here.
However, that’s easier said than done after a stomach-wrenching 2-1 defeat at Lecce last weekend condemned them to a ninth consecutive winless league outing (D3, L6). Nesta needs all hands on deck to weather this storm. But it would need to come at long odds.
Monza’s dire situation puts Juventus in the driver’s seat to claim an all-important win following an inconceivable 2-2 home draw against newcomers Venezia last Saturday. Thiago Motta’s charges nifty responded to that upset in midweek Coppa Italia action.
Indeed, an unanswered quadruple, bookended by Nicolas Gonzalez’s cheeky lob from outside the box, saw Juventus thrash Cagliari 4-0 in Turin to book a quarter-final date against Empoli. Nonetheless, it feels imperative for theBianconerito return to winning ways in Serie A.
With their title hopes dwindling, anything other than three points would land a knockout punch on Juventus’ quest to end a four-year drought in the top flight.
Match Preview
Monza
Monza’s hopes of extending their three-year tenure in Serie A hinge solely on finding their feet at the Brianteo, with no side picking up fewer home points than them (three). Alongside Genoa, they’re one of only two sides yet to win a league match on home turf this season (D3, L6), largely thanks to a misfiring frontline.
Nesta’s lads have netted a meager average of just 0.75 goals per home league game. For context, only Empoli’s substandard two-goal haul at Stadio Carlo Castellani is worse than Monza’s six at the Brianteo, highlighting a lackluster attack as the team’s weakest link.
In all this doom and gloom, Monza can draw confidence from holding Inter and Roma winless on this ground (D2). The hosts must punch above their weight again, but a three-game losing home run paints a bleak picture.
Monza trailed 1-0 at halftime on each occasion, meaning they can ill-afford a stuttering start against a Juventus side they lost to 2-1 in this corresponding fixture last term.
Juventus
Juventus head into proceedings as the only team in Serie A yet to lose a league game. However, a high volume of draws has significantly derailed their Scudetto chances. Indeed, they’ve shared the spoils in a league-high ten matches, accounting for 62.5% of their top-flight outings (W6).
Motta’s men have rightfully earned the tag of ‘stalemate kings.’ They’ve ominously drawn their last four away contests across all competitions. Each game in that sequence featured under 2.5 goals, underscoring the potential for a low-scoring encounter.
Juventus failed to get on the scoresheet before halftime on each occasion. But late drama has been a common theme lately. Juve’s last three Serie A matches have seen one team draw level in second-half stoppages.
Unfortunately for the Juventus faithful, they were on the receiving end of last-gasp heartbreaks twice in that run.
Team News
Monza enter this round severely weakened by injuries. In addition to long-term absentees Mattia Valoti, Samuele Vignato, Matteo Pessina, and Roberto Gagliardini, Nesta cannot count on Milan Djuric and Daniel Maldini. The latter serves a one-game ban, with Gianluca Caprari likely to take his place in the front third.
On the other hand, Juventus will take this trip without Arkadiusz Milik, Gleison Bremer, Juan Cabal, and Tim Weah.With the USMNT forward injured, Francisco Conceicao will probablyjoin forces with Kenan Yildiz, Teun Koopmeiners, and Dusan Vlahovicin attack.
Monza vs Juventus Potential Starting Line-ups
Monza (3-4-2-1): Turati; Izzo, Mari, Carboni; Pereira, Bianco, Bondo, Kyriakopoulos; Mota, Caprari; Maric.
Juventus (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Savona, Kalulu, Gatti, Danilo; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Yildiz; Vlahovic.
Monza vs Juventus Prediction
Given Monza’s well-documented scoring woes, Motta’s watertight backline should have a field day at the Brianteo. However, Juventus must prove they can constantly produce in front of goal after a midweek rout of Cagliari.
There’s no margin for error, and Juventus are seemingly in pole position to take three precious points.
Prediction: Juventus to Win
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