Juventus: 5 key players to watch against Udinese on Matchday 15

Juventus will face Udinese at the Allianz Stadium, looking to bounce back from a loss to Fiorentina before Christmas.

On Sunday night at the Allianz Stadium, Juventus will play their first game of 2021 against Udinese and Rodrigo De Paul, who has been one of the very best midfielders in Serie A for another year running.

The Bianconeri currently sit sixth in the league table and are coming off their worst loss of the season, a horrific 3-0 blowout defeat at the hands of Fiorentina.

Let’s look at five players who must stand out against Udinese in order for Juve to return to the wins column.

CM Rodrigo Bentancur

Rodrigo De Paul is a priority for Juventus to stop, because he can win this game almost single-handedly for the visitors. There are few players in this league who can match De Paul, as he is the clear leader for Udinese.

Rodrigo Bentancur will be crucial to stopping De Paul defensively. According to WhoScored.com, the Argentine midfielder has 2.3 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game, making him one of the team’s most effective defensive players. He needs to get better in the attack, but Bentancur’s defending could be worth a win on Matchday 15.

CB Matthijs de Ligt

Leonardo Bonucci was the culprit in Juventus’ embarrassing loss to Fiorentina, as he was the main embarrassment with two goal-giving mistakes and a host of other defensive errors. It could have been even worse for the captain.

But Matthijs de Ligt is the real player to watch on Sunday. He wasn’t good against Fiorentina either, and he is the team’s second-most valuable player after Cristiano Ronaldo. De Ligt has been excellent this season, but he cannot afford to have an off game against the speedy Kevin Lasagna and Udinese, who will look to counter behind De Paul.

FW Alvaro Morata

Alvaro Morata is a weekly X-Factor for Juventus. He is the man who sews it all together, linking up play between an uncreative midfielder and superstar goal-scorer Cristiano Ronaldo. It is Morata who leads the team with five assists, as he is the main source of chance-creation that doesn’t come via crosses by Federico Chiesa and Juan Cuadrado.

Juventus live and die by Morata and Ronaldo up top. Both players will be essential to Juve’s success vs. Udinese this weekend.

GK Wojciech Szczesny

Wojciech Szczesny must be on high alert between the posts on Matchday 15, because this seems like the type of game where Juve’s defense leak a couple of sudden counterattacks, leading to clear-cut chances for the Udinese forwards.

Kevin Lasagna is the kind of player who can have a good game out of nowhere, while Ignacio Pussetto has been a standout for Udinese this season with three goals to tie De Paul for the team lead. Szczesny may have to make a couple of world-class saves as the last man standing.

CM Weston McKennie

Juventini are falling in love with American midfielder Weston McKennie, who has shown that he is too good for his parent club Schalke. That might not seem like it’s saying much, considering the Royal Blues are one of the worst clubs in all of Europe’s top five leagues, but McKennie’s performance in the Derby Della Mole says it all. He has the spirit of Juventus in him.

McKennie could prove crucial in helping the midfield keep Rodrigo De Paul and Roberto Pereyra, who is actually Udinese’s leader in assists with four this season, off the scoresheet. The young center midfielder is noted for his defensive work, though he is also capable of joining the attack to find the back of the net.