Juventus Turin, Italian champions on borrowed time after Andrea Pirlo’s mixed start, relaunches their quest for a tenth consecutive title Sunday against Udinese, as a prelude to an intense and decisive month of January for the ambitions of the Bianconeri .
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After the Christmas mini-truce, Juventus is playing big from the first weeks of 2021. After Udinese, Sunday at the end of the 15th day of Serie A, Cristiano Ronaldo and co will indeed meet in quick succession three of the first four in the standings: the leader, AC Milan, in San Siro, Sassuolo (4th) in Turin then Inter Milan (2nd) again at San Siro!
A hell of a program for this Juve reworked by Andrea Pirlo, novice coach whose first months alternated the good (1st place in the group in the Champions League, with a demonstration in Barcelona) and the less good (already six draws in the league and one defeat at home 3-0 just before Christmas against Fiorentina).
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Only sixth in the third of the championship, ten points behind Milan (who nevertheless played one more match), here are the Bianconeri deprived of joker. A situation of “hunters” reminiscent of the 2015-2016 season where, after a failed start to the season (12th after ten days), Juve had chained 26 wins in 28 matches to win – as usual – the scudetto.
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While waiting for Juve to regain its solidity, the two Milanese formations (the only other clubs, besides Juve, to have won the championship since 2001) will try to follow up.
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AC Milan will try to preserve its first place (and its invincibility) on the ground of the catchy Benevento (10th) of “Pippo” Inzaghi. Stefano Pioli will once again be deprived of his Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has not yet recovered from his calf injury and whose return is now expected in mid-January (he will therefore also miss the shock against Juve on Wednesday).
Inter Milan, on the lookout for a point from the Rossoneri, are aiming for their eighth consecutive league victory over another promoted side, Crotone (19th).
Fans of beautiful game will have an eye on the meeting between Atalanta Bergamo (7th) and Sassuolo (4th). These two teams, adept at moving games, suffered a little at the end of the year from the accumulation of matches but intend to remain in the battle for European places. A battle that the “Dea” will lead a priori without its playmaker and captain Alejandro “Papu” Gomez, removed from the group at the end of the year after tensions with coach Gian Piero Gasperini.
Program of the 15th day:
(11h30) Inter Milan – Crotone
(14h00) Genoa – Lazio Rome
Atalanta Bergame – Sassuolo
AS Rome – Sampdoria Genoa
Cagliari – Naples
Spezia – Hellas Verona
Fiorentina – Bologne
Parme – Turin
(17h00) Benevento – AC Milan
(19h45) Juventus Turin – Udinese
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