Following AS Roma’s lengthy unbeaten league run being halted by Monday’s 2-1 defeat at highflying Atalanta, the Bianconeri are in a very strong position to secure Champions League soccer next term.
Juve lead the race to clinch fourth place, with the reward being the involvement in next season’s highly lucrative Champions League.
Recent Serie A results have seen numerous slip ups for the top nine teams in the mix for European competition next season, including Juve’s shock 1-0 at Parma.
Igor Tudor was appointed in late March as Juventus interim head coach, with his sole objective to score a top four finish at the end of the campaign.
Rivals kept quiet
So far, so good. He has tackled seven league matches, and only tasted the reversal at Parma. Hard-fought stalemates against rivals for a top four position meant that AS Roma, Bologna and Lazio had to share the spoils and trail Juve with these last two league games.
Udinese visit the Allianz Stadium in Turin on Sunday, with Juventus ending their Serie A season at relegation-threatened Venezia.
Tudor has always stated during his short tenure that he is focused on taking one game at a time, meaning that Udinese will be his priority.
Kosta Runjaic was appointed Udinese head coach last July, and has overseen a reasonable campaign that has taken a recent nosedive.
Rare clean sheets
Their home and away form is pretty similar in terms of goals scored and conceded, as well as results, although on their travels they rarely keep a clean sheet.
Udinese boast giant striker Lorenzo Lucca, a long-term Juve target, in their ranks. He will be aiming to impress scouts from English and Italian clubs who are expected to be at the match.
Should Lucca sink Juve with a goal, he could effectively earn himself a deal with the Turin titans next term.
This is because without the financial riches from competing in the Champions League, Juve would have to cut their cloth accordingly. Lucca, the Udinese top scorer this season, is a much cheaper option than some of the big-name attackers on the Juve wishlist.
Lucca scored during last weekend’s shock 2-1 home defeat to already relegated Monza, and showed what a threat he is in the air and as a target man.
Big defensive woes
Tudor has defensive worries. Duo Pierre Kalulu and Nicolo Savona are both suspended for the Udinese clash. The pair of Andrea Cambiaso and Lloyd Kelly are expected back following injury, although would probably both start on the bench, meaning that Manuel Locatelli could turn out as an emergency center-back.
Shotstopper Michele Di Gregorio has been a safe pair of hands for Juventus, and was only badly exposed by a dismal defense in Thiago Motta’s last two matches in charge.
Tudor’s midfield against Udinese will be shaken up, with influential Khephren Thuram banned for one match.
Teun Koopmeiners, who has experienced a poor campaign in a Juve jersey, could be back from his Achilles tendon injury and utilized as an attacking midfielder with Turkish talent Kenan Yildiz in an extremely deep role behind two strikers.
Double trouble upfront
Kolo Muani, called up to replace injured striker Dusan Vlahovic, has bagged two goals in his past three Serie A games. The Paris Saint-Germain loanee has eventually earned praise and trust from Tudor.
In contrast Vlahovic has yet to net under Tudor, and has two matches left to showcase his scoring prowess in order to earn a summer transfer.
While Udinese could be a potential banana skin, it seems highly likely that Juventus will romp to victory against a side that failed to find the back of the net throughout April even with Lucca in their ranks.