Ace Football previews the Serie A match between Sampdoria and Juventus, and offers betting tips, odds, line-ups, and team news.
Juventus have recalled Cristiano Ronaldo for the trip to the Luigi Ferraris Stadium for a Serie A match against Sampdoria on Saturday evening.
The fifth-placed visitors hope to continue their resurgence by closing down a seven-point gap to pacesetters AC Milan in the league table. Sampdoria, on the other hand, sit in a respectable 10th-place on 26 points from 19 outings.
Dejan Kulusevski, Leonardo Bonucci, and Ronaldo were all on target to seal Juve a 3-0 win in the last meeting with Sampdoria in September and hope to make it four victories in a row over their opponents in Genoa.
Sampdoria Form & Stats
Back-to-back victories over Parma and Udinese have lifted Sampdoria into the top-10 at the halfway stage. Inconsistency has been a problem though, having won eight and lost nine of their 19 league games so far.
Claudio Ranieri’s men have, however, won three of their four outings (L1) and recently inflicted Inter Milan with a 2-1 defeat at the Luigi Ferraris. They’ve also haven’t conceded more than one goal in their last five games. So, with this in mind, they’ll be gunning for Juventus with renewed confidence.
One player perhaps worth keeping an eye on is Keita Balde. The Senegalese forward has overcome his injury problems, with three goals in his last five games for Sampdoria and 14 goals in his last 16 Serie A starts. That, along with the presence of Fabio Quagliarella and Antonio Candreva, should make it an interesting affair.
Key Team Stats
- Won 3 of their last 4 league games (L1).
- Over 2.5 goals in their last 6 home league games.
- Scored 2 or more goals in their last 4 home league games.
- Keita Balde has scored 14 goals in his last 16 Serie A starts.
- Lost their last 3 league games against Juventus.
- BTTS in their last 8 home games in all competitions.
Juventus Form & Stats
Andrea Pirlo has recalled Cristiano Ronaldo for the trip to Sampdoria after resting his star player in the 4-0 Coppa Italia win over SPAL. Veteran center-backs Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci were also rested; albeit with a spot on the bench instead.
Ahead of another must-win match on Saturday, however, Pirlo is expected to start the trio. Ronaldo, for one, will be eager to get back on the pitch and scoring goals, having scored just once in his last four games. He did assist Arthur Melo for the Bianconeri’s first goal in last weekend’s 2-0 triumph over Bologna, though.
Although Juventus have struggled on the road this season, with just four wins in nine away league games (D4 L1). It’s left them with only 16 points, which is nine points less than what Serie A leaders AC Milan have managed. If they’re going to win a 10th consecutive Scudetto, improving their away form is a must.
Key Team Stats
- Won 7 of their last 8 games in all competitions.
- Won just 4 of their 9 away league games (D4 L1).
- Kept just 4 clean sheets in 18 league games.
- BTTS in 7 of their last 9 away league games.
- Scored at least 2 goals in 6 of their last 7 games against Sampdoria in all competitions.
- Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 5 goals in only 4 league games against Sampdoria.
- Cristiano Ronaldo has made 24 goal contributions in only 21 appearances (20 goals, 4 assists).
Team News
Sampdoria
Out: Manolo Gabbiadini, Alex Ferrari.
Doubts: N/A.
Juventus
Out: Paulo Dybala, Dejan Kulusevski.
Doubts: N/A.
Predicted Line-ups
(Note: The image will change to the official XI once they’re both announced)
Top Goalscorers in Serie A
Head-To-Head Record
Below are some head-to-head stats on each team’s recent form in Serie A.
Match Facts
Betting Tips
More Odds
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