The Bianconeri will face their toughest test this season with the visit of Roma tomorrow night to the Allianz Stadium.
Juventus’ rivalry with Roma stretches back to the 1980s, when the two were directly in competition for the Serie A title, and the infamous “Il gol di Turone”. In the 1980/81 season.
On 10th of May 1981, the two sides met, with Juve one point clear of second-placed Roma, and two further games to play. Ten minutes from time, Maurizio Turone headed past goalkeeper Dino Zoff to give Roma a vital 1-0 lead, only for the linesman to signal to the referee, Paolo Bergamo, that Turone was offside. Thegoal was disallowed, and the match ended 0-0, with Juventus going on to win the title by two points.
The wounds remain raw for Roma, with clashes between the two always being fiery encounters. Hopefully there will be no such on controversy on Sunday, but can Juve pick up the win?
Match Details
- Date: Sunday, 1 September, 2024
- Location: Turin, Italy
- Venue: Allianz Stadium
- Kick-off time: 19:45 BST, 18:45 UTC
- Tickets: Available through Juventus club website or via trusted resellers online.
Recent Form
With six goals, two clean sheets and maximum points to their name so far this season, Juventus lead the pack in Serie A, and will hope to go into the international break with a 100% record by defeating Roma on Sunday. After a 3-0 defeat of Como on the opening matchday, Thiago Motta’s side inflicted the same scoreline on Hellas Verona, who toppled Napoli on Day 1. Dusan Vlahovic broke his duck for the season with a brace, with Next Gen graduate Nicolo Savona also getting on the scoresheet.
By comparison, Roma have made a slow start to the season. Now managed permanently by club legend Daniele De Rossi, the side have won just one of their last nine matches in all competitions. After drawing with Cagliari on the opening day, things got worse with last week's shock loss at home to Empoli, as substitute Eldor Shomurodov’s late consolation header was unable to spare Roma’s blushes.
Head to Head
Juventus and Roma drew their last league fixture, 1-1 last May at the Stadio Olimpico (with Romelu Lukaku scoring for the Giallorossi and Bremer for Juve). The two sides have not drawn consecutive Serie A matches since March 2006/September 2007. All-time, Juventus are 86-42-52 against Roma, with Roma last defeating the Bianconeri in March 2023, winning 1-0 at home. Only against Inter have Juventus played more matches (182 compared to Roma’s 180) and won more times (87) than against Roma in Serie A.
Team News
Timothy Weah and Khéphren Thuram will once again not feature, having both picked up injuries against Como. Arkadiusz Milik and Filip Kostic continue to be sidelined with injuries, but look destined to follow Federico Chiesa to the exit door, after Chiesa agreed a move to Liverpool earlier in the week. Tipped to cross enemy lines is unfavoured centre-back Tiago Djalo, who is set to join Roma after preferred target Kevin Danso failed a medical earlier in the week.
Danilo is edging closer to full fitness, while €50 million signing Douglas Luiz is surely close to starting for the first time, but excellent performances from Next Gen graduates Nicolo Savona and Samuel Mbangula have saw them stake their claim at a spot in the starting XI. Also, new signings Teun Koopmeiners, Sergio Conceicao and Nico Gonzalez will hope to get minutes under their belt against Roma.
For Roma, their only absentee is French midfielder Enzo Le Fee. Recently departed Juve player Matias Soule will probably play for the Giallorossi, while Paulo Dybala will line up against his former club one more time, having rejected a switch to Saudi Arabia and pledging his allegiance for the immediate future.
Players To Watch
Juventus - Samuel Mbangula
Eyebrows were raised last week when youth graduate Samuel Mbangula was picked to start over €50 million signing Douglas Luiz by manager Thiago Motta against Como. Motta’s faith was repaid when Mbangula fired home the opening goal of Juve’s league season with a phenomenal long-range effort from outside the box. He would then go on to put in another great performance against Verona, providing an assist and drawing out a penalty which Vlahovic converted to make it 3-0. Big summer signing Douglas Luiz has been relegated to the bench, showing glimpses of why Motta brought him to Turin in his cameo performances, but how long can Mbangula hold on to that starting spot?
Roma - Paulo Dybala
While Roma fans were delighted when the news broke striker Paulo Dybala had rejected a move to Saudi Arabia, one person who perhaps wasn’t as ecstatic is Roma manager. It seemed that De Rossi was banking on using the money from Dybala’s sale to bring in dynamic attacking players with more legs, so now De Rossi will possibly have to adjust his plans. That said, write offDybala at your peril. With 123 Serie A goals in 326 appearances for Palermo, Juventus and Roma, the Bianconeri are well aware of Dybala’s striking prowess and the trouble it can cause for defences who underestimate him.
Expected Line-Ups
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Di Gregorio; Savona, Gatti, Bremer, Cabal; Locatelli, Fagioli; Gonzalez, Yildiz, Mbangoula; Vlahovic
Roma possible starting lineup:
Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Ndicka, Angelino; Paredes, Pellegrini, Cristante; Dybala, Soule, Dovbyk
Prediction
While no doubt their sternest opposition to date, this is arguably the perfect time for Juve to face Roma, who are severely struggling for form.
With Vlahovic opening his account against Verona, and the partnership between him, Yildiz and surprise package Mbangula flourishing, Juve are playing with an attacking intensity not seen under former manager Max Allegri.
By comparison, Roma’s front line have misfired so far, and with Juventus’ tight defence conceding the fewest shots on target across Europe's top five leagues so far, signs point to another tough day for the Giallorossi.
Juve turned the Allianz Stadium into a fortress last season, and with their current form, it looks unlikely that Roma can break their away Juve hoodoo, having lost 11 of the 13 encounters in Turin.
Old Juve predicts a 3-0 Juventus win.