Juventus’ quest to regain the Scudetto begins on Sunday evening when they take on Luca Gotti’s Udinese in Udine.
Antonio Conte’s Inter Milan ended the Bianconeri’s nine-year stranglehold over Calcio last season with an emphatic title triumph, but the manager’s departure – and Inter’s dire financial situation – combined with Massimiliano Allegri’s return to Turin has left Juve as the favourites to reclaim Scudetto glory this time around.
Allegri’s side rounded off their pre-season with a 3-0 victory over their Under-23’s on Thursday evening, following on from their impressive 3-1 triumph over domestic rivals Atalanta at the weekend.
Udinese, meanwhile, will have to cope without last season’s talisman Rodrigo De Paul after the majestic Argentine departed for Atletico Madrid in the summer. De Paul’s magic guided the Friulani to a 14th-place finish last time out. Nevertheless, despite his exit, there’s no doubting that Gotti’s side, spurred on by home support, have the firepower to cause Juve a few problems on Sunday.
Here’s our preview of the Bianconeri’s season-opener.
Where to watch Udinese vs Juventus
When is it? Sunday 22 August
What time is kick-off? 17:30 (GMT)
Where is it played? Stadio Friuli
TV channel? BT Sport 1 (UK), CBS Sports (US)
Udinese Team News
Udinese captain Ilija Nestorovski remains sidelined after undergoing ACL surgery in April.
Roberto Pereyra, meanwhile, will take on the brunt of Udinese’s creative responsibility in the absence of De Paul, and the Argentine will likely line up with Jean-Victor Makengo and Tolgay Arslan in the middle of the park.
Young new signing Lazar Samardzic is unlikely to start but could earn some minutes off the bench, although former Hellas Verona shot-stopper Marco Silvestri will start between the sticks after being brought in to replace Juan Musso.
Juventus Team News
Allegri will be without Arthur Melo for the start of the season after the Brazilian underwent surgery on his leg injury in July. Adrien Rabiot is also an injury doubt, while new signing Manuel Locatelli is unlikely to make his debut from the outset.
Aaron Ramsey could return to the regista role, while Federico Bernardeschi’s impressive pre-season should see him start in midfield. Danilo’s stellar showing against the Under-23’s may tempt Allegri to play him over Juan Cuadrado on Sunday. The front three currently picks itself.
Predicted Lineups
Udinese: Silvestri; Molina, Nuytinck, Becao, Samir, Udogie; Arslan, Makengo, Pereyra; Pussetto, Okaka.
Juventus: Szczesny; Danilo, De Ligt, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Ramsey, Bentancur, Bernardeschi; Chiesa, Dybala, Ronaldo.
Udinese Recent Form
Udinese 3-1 Ascoli (13/08) – Coppa Italia
Udinese 1-0 Empoli (07/08) – Friendly
Udinese 4-0 Cjarlins Muzane (06/08) – Friendly
Lens 4-1 Udinese (31/07) – Friendly
Udinese 2-3 Sturm Graz (28/07) – Friendly
Juventus Recent Form
Juventus 3-0 Juventus Under 23’s (19/08) – Friendly
Juventus 3-1 Atalanta (14/08) – Friendly
Barcelona 3-0 Juventus – (08/08) – Joan Gamper Trophy
Monza 1-2 Juventus (31/07) – Friendly
Juventus 3-1 Cesena (24/07) – Friendly
Udinese vs Juventus Prediction
While you shouldn’t read too much into a comfortable victory over the Under-23’s, Juventus’ triumph over Atalanta last weekend was hugely impressive and they look in a good place to start the season.
With Massimiliano Allegri having the luxury of an almost fully-fit squad to choose from, expect the Bianconeri to fire on Sunday against a Udinese side who may struggle to get up the pitch in the absence of Rodrigo De Paul’s ability in transition. Juve should control this contest from beginning to end and it’ll be a matter of whether they can penetrate what’s poised to be a low Luca Gotti block.
Sustained pressure, however, should see them win comfortably.
Prediction: Udinese 0-3 Juventus