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Juventus will look to build upon their recent win over Napoli when they face a struggling Genoa on the weekend. While the title may be out of the Old Lady’s reach, they remain the favourites to finish in a UEFA Champions League spot. Genoa, meanwhile, are looking to avoid relegation to Serie B for yet another season.
Andrea Pirlo was a relieved man on the touchline on Tuesday night, as Juventus beat Napoli 2-1. The win over their rivals proved to be timely, with pressure mounting on the rookie head coach after a string of poor results. The Bianconeri will look to build upon that massive win when they face Genoa on Sunday, April 11. A win, coupled with favourable results elsewhere, could take the current Serie A champions to the second spot in the table.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala helped Juventus beat Napoli in a rearranged midweek match. The pair netted either side of the break before Lorenzo Insigne pulled one back late on from the spot. Nevertheless, Pirlo’s men were able to sustain the Napoli onslaught for much of the match and ended up registering important three points on the board. They moved to third on the league table as a result, leapfrogging Atalanta, and opened up a three-point gap between themselves and the fifth place.
At the other end of the table, Genoa took another huge step towards safety as they drew 1-1 against the struggling Fiorentina. Mattia Destro put Davide Ballardini’s side one-nil ahead in the 13th minute, but Dusan Vlahovic pulled La Viola level just ten minutes later. Veteran attacker Franck Ribery was shown a red card by the referee just six minutes into the second half. However, Genoa did not make their advantage count, and the match ended in a stalemate.
Genoa aren’t completely safe yet. They are currently ten points clear of 18th place Cagliari, but there are still ten games left to play this season. I Rossoblu will be wary of losing too many games on the bounce and getting dragged back into the dogfight.
Historically, Juventus have the upper hand against Genoa. They have lost just two of their last 53 home ties against this particular opposition and have won on all of their previous three meetings. However, this is not the unbreachable Juventus of old. Pirlo’s team is vulnerable, even more so than his predecessor’s. The Bianconeri have conceded at least one goal in their previous five matches in the league but have won three of those. Teams from the bottom half of the table seem to be their Achilles’ Heel – evidenced by the fact that they have gained the fewest points against the latter ten, among the European hopefuls.
Key Players
Cristiano Ronaldo
While Ronaldo hasn’t yet been able to fulfil the promise of Champions League glory in Turin, he has comfortably been Juventus’ best player in Serie A. The Portugal international scored his 25th league goal of the season in the Bianconeri’s win over Napoli midweek and had the opportunity to bag even more.
Federico Chiesa
The young Italian attacker has been one of the few positives in Juventus’ otherwise forgettable season. The winger arrived at the Allianz Stadium last summer on loan from Fiorentina, and has since had a hand in 17 goals in the league. It was his exceptional play on the wing which resulted in Juventus’ opener against Napoli, as he took on and beat several defenders before playing a low ball across the box to Ronaldo.
Gianluca Scamacca
Reports during the January 2021 transfer window linked Scamacca to a move to Juventus. The promising Italian striker is spending the season on loan at Genoa from Sassuolo, and was being eyed by Pirlo as the perfect backup to Alvaro Morata. However, Scamacca stayed put in Liguria and will now see out the season at the Luigi Ferraris. He has scored eight times for Genoa across all competitions and has two assists.
Milan Badelj
Genoa have opened up a decent gap between themselves and the teams immediately threatened by relegation. Milan Badelj is a part of the core which has helped I Rossoblu turn defeats into draws, and draws into wins. The Croatian midfielder will hope to continue his fine form of late and help his side win the battle in the middle of the park on Sunday.
Prediction
Genoa’s robustness under Ballardini has been a key factor in their climb up the table. While they are 13th on the table, it is still a respectable achievement given the lows of the last few years. They have drawn the second-most games in the league and will provide Juventus with a difficult challenge.
Nonetheless, Juventus have the ability to field a dangerous front-four, containing Ronaldo, Dybala, Chiesa, and Morata. They are the clear favourites going into the match, courtesy of their far superior squad. Although they have faced difficulties in dealing with lower-half opposition this season, they should be able to secure a win over Genoa and strengthen their grasp on the third spot.
