Juventus: 5 key players to watch against Genoa on Matchday 11

Juventus will face Genoa on Sunday afternoon in a road game. Here are five players to watch closely on Matchday 11.

The Black and Whites are riding high after defeating Torino in the Derby Della Mole and Barcelona at mid-week to secure first place in their Champions League group. Juventus will be expected to continue their winning ways in Serie A this weekend at Genoa on Sunday evening.

Let’s take a look at five key players on the Old Lady to watch this weekend, as Juve still have six points to make up on league leaders AC Milan.

CM Weston McKennie

After scoring against both Torino and Barcelona, Weston McKennie is fully expected to start for Juventus on Matchday 11 against Genoa. McKennie is adding an end product to the Juve attack, and this team has needed that sort of influence from a midfielder.

Of course, McKennie adds a lot defensively and with his work rate. But he’s an underrated goal-scorer and asset to the attack. Don’t put it past him to add another goal to his tally on Matchday 11 at Genoa.

FW Alvaro Morata

Alvaro Morata has been on another level this season for Juventus. Like Weston McKennie Federico Chiesa, Morata should earn a permanent transfer to the Bianconeri at the end of the 2020-2021 season. He has nine goals and four assists in all competitions this season, and only Cristiano Ronaldo and Juan Cuadrado have been more important to the Bianconeri’s success thus far.

On Sunday, Morata could easily have multiple goal contributions for the away side. He is in fine form with a goal contribution in five of his last six Serie A fixtures, even if he did not contribute a goal in the 3-0 blowout win over Barcelona.

RB Juan Cuadrado

Luca Pellegrini vs. Juan Cuadrado will be a fun battle on Juve’s right-hand side, as the Juventus loanee is an electrifying wide man for Genoa who will want to make a real impression on his parent club. He could be the attacking left back of the future.

Cuadrado is the present. He has eight assists this season and has recorded three assists in his last two matches for the Bianconeri. The Colombian wide man can excel as either a right back or a right midfielder, and his crosses could be devastating for Genoa to defend against.

CM Rodrigo Bentancur

Rodrigo Bentancur is slowly starting to show signs of his best form for the Black and Whites in 2020-2021. He was exceptional in the derby last weekend, as WhoScored.com credited the Uruguayan midfielder with two tackles and an interception. He even had two key passes and three dribbles completed for Juve.

The focus will be on Bentancur’s attacking output on Sunday, because we know he is a solid defensive presence in the middle of the park for the Bianconeri. But can he continue to add to the attack? He and Weston McKennie seem to have a good partnership brewing, which is a great second option behind the preferred starters Arthur Melo and Adrien Rabiot.

FW Cristiano Ronaldo

Of course, we have to talk about Cristiano Ronaldo. The superstar attacker has scored a brace in half of his six Serie A appearances this season, and his goal-scoring has been so remarkable that the Derby Della Mole was his first match without a goal this season.

Ronaldo has not scored a hat trick yet, but after a quiet weekend against Torino, the Portuguese legend could be in line for his first hat-trick of the season on Sunday at Genoa. The opposition are 19th in the league and only a handful of teams have allowed more goals. Ronaldo should have. a field day with this defense.