Juventus are yet to register a win in the Serie A 2021/22 season. But there is no time to savour the misery as the matches keep on piling. Following the 1-1 stalemate at the hands of AC Milan in the top tier of Italian football last Sunday, Juventus will encounter an injury-ravaged Spezia at Stadio Alberto Picco on Wednesday evening.
Juventus, having garnered just two points from four games so far, stand 18th on the points table, discovering themselves in the relegation zone.
On the other hand, Spezia, led by a former Paris Saint-Germain defensive midfielder in Thiago Motta, racked up their first victory of the new campaign with a last-minute screamer from Mehdi Bourabia in a 2-1 win over newly-promoted Venezia last weekend. They currently occupy the 13th spot with a two-point lead over the Old Lady.
In terms of talents on paper, Spezia Calcio, with all due respect to the club and its heritage, are no match for Juventus. But considering the current circumstances, there is a likelihood of the minnows upsetting the team thought to be the Scudetto aspirants for the 2021/22 season.
Nevertheless, going into the fixture, Juve have an upper hand over the Aquile, with Leo Sena, Ebrima Colley, Kevin Agudelo, Martin Erlić, and Arkadiusz Reca all nursing their respective injuries and thus being unavailable for the game against the Le Zebre.
3 key Spezia players to feature against Juventus
Despite having an unfortunate injury list, the team that played their very first Serie A campaign in the 2020/21 season will be looking forward to nullifying the threats of the 36-time Scudetto holders. Not being the favourites for the game might help them eventually. Plus, the win against Venezia is likely to promote positivity ahead of the colossal clash.
Here we take a look at the three key players that could add more distress to Juve’s predicament.
3. Simone Bastoni
If the opponent were to be anyone but Juventus, Simone Bastoni won’t be included in the list. But since it is going to be played in Le Spezia and the game is indeed between Spezia Calcio and Juventus, there is a natural obligation to consider Simone Bastoni — a Le Spezia-born outlet who has been at the club since his childhood. He will certainly be throwing his heart out on the field against one of the big names in Italian football to not only impress the observers but also defend the colours of his hometown.
Playing as a left-back, Bastoni is the epitome of an advanced full-back, who can flawlessly play the role of a wing-back. It was Simone Bastoni’s left-footed floater that broke the deadlock against Venezia in the weekend. The goal was his second of the season after he had found the nets against Cagliari in the opening match of the campaign.
Like AC Milan’s Theo Hernández, Bastoni has an unusual tendency to attack the box. Consequently, he ends up getting into promising positions around the attacking region for Spezia. Thiago Motta is believed to utilise a back three in his altered 3-4-3 formation against Juventus, meaning Bastoni would be playing as a left wing-back then.
Playing as a left wing-wing will facilitate more freedom to roam and less defensive burden to comply with. If his deliveries into the box remain pin-point, there is no way Juve defenders will not be feeling the pressure at a time when the defence-line has had been without a clean sheet for 18 long matches in Serie A.