Ace Football previews the Serie A match between Juventus and Genoa and offers betting tips, odds, line-ups, and team news.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Juventus welcome Genoa to the Allianz Stadium on Sunday afternoon hoping to strengthen their hold of a Champions League spot in Serie A.
A morale-boosting midweek win over Napoli has lifted the Old Lady up to third place in Serie A. They can move back to within a point of second-placed AC Milan by beating Genoa, who sit 27 points behind in 13th.
Juventus have the quality to bag a comfortable win in this one with all their attacking options available. The hosts are out to restore some pride, but will their tendency to slip up against lesser foes cost them again? Whoever scores first could set the tone here.
Juventus Form & Stats
Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala scored the goals to seal a vital 2-1 win over Napoli last week. Their strikes snapped Juventus out of a two-match winless streak to boost the club’s top-four hopes ahead of the final nine games of the season.
Andrea Pirlo’s men now welcome Genoa to Turin in should be a winnable tie. They’ve won their last three league meetings with the Rossoblu and scored at least two goals in each match. It’s worth pointing out, however, Juve have the fewest points against clubs in the lower half of Serie A of any top-seven side (33 points in 15 games). They’ve also failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five league outings.
Paulo Dybala, meanwhile, will probably not start on Sunday according to Pirlo. While Leonardo Bonucci and Federico Bernardeschi, who both have COVID-19, are still unavailable for selection.
The goal burden, therefore, will fall on Cristiano Ronaldo once again. The Portuguese ace has been brilliant with a league-best of 25 goals. He’s even bagged the first goal of a match nine times this season and has scored in every one of his four games against Genoa in Serie A for a perfect 100% record.
Key Team Stats
- Won 8 of their last 10 home league games (L2).
- Aiming for 4 league wins in a row over Genoa for the first time since 2008.
- Failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 5 league games.
- Averaged 5.4 corner-kicks in their last 5 home league games.
- Paulo Dybala has scored 7 goals in 10 league games against Genoa.
- Federico Chiesa has made an assist in 4 of his last 7 league games.
- Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 5 goals in 4 league games against Genoa.
Genoa Form & Stats
A 1-1 draw with 10-man Fiorentina last time out extended Genoa’s unbeaten run to three games (W1 D2). The Rossoblu now lie 13th in the league table and only four points outside a top-10 spot ahead of the last nine matches. So, with plenty still left to play for, they head to Juventus hoping for a first-ever win in Turin.
Although Davide Ballardini’s men have only won three times away from home this season (D5 L6). Their 11 draws overall, meanwhile, is the second-highest tally in Serie A behind Torino (12). In fact, five of their last eight league games have ended in a stalemate (W1 L2).
Given their record from home this season, Genoa may sit back and try to hit Juventus on the counter in Turin. The visitors have the league’s worst away goal record in Serie A with 10 goals in 14 games on the road. But they’ve conceded just 19 times, which is the sixth-best defensive record in the Italian top-flight.
Key Team Stats
- Unbeaten in their last 3 league games (W1 D2).
- Drawn 5 of their last 8 league games (W1 L2) with the last three ending 1-1.
- Second-most draws in the league this season on 11.
- Sixth-best away defensive record in the league on 19 conceded goals.
- Conceded the first goal in 71% of their 14 away league games.
- Averaging only 15 touches-per-match inside the opponent’s box.
- Domenico Criscito could make his 250th appearance for Genoa on Sunday.
- Top-scorer Mattia Destro has scored only 1 goal in his last 7 league games.
Team News
Juventus
Out: Leonardo Bonucci, Federico Bernardeschi.
Doubts: N/A.
Genoa
Out: Luca Pellegrini, Kevin Strootman.
Doubts: N/A.
Predicted Line-up
(Note: The image will change to the official XI once they’re both announced)
Top Goalscorers in Serie A
Head-To-Head Record (Serie A only)
Below are some head-to-head stats on each team’s recent form in Serie A.