Juventus vs. Genoa – News and Probable Lineups

In the intensely competitive Serie A top-four battle, Juventus, who have seen better days, are set to host Genoa in Turin on Monday evening.

The Bianconeri squandered valuable points just before the hiatus, putting them in a precarious position regarding Champions League qualification, while their opponents are yet to ensure they won’t be relegated.

Match overview

Prior to the international break, Juventus were positioned for a crucial home win against Sassuolo, aiming to maintain their pursuit of Como and Roma for the fourth spot.

Although Kenan Yildiz’s early goal was equalized shortly after halftime, Juventus were awarded a late penalty and looked poised to secure all three points.

Nevertheless, captain Manuel Locatelli took the penalty from Yildiz and his weak shot was easily saved, allowing Como to pull three points ahead, leaving Juventus equal on points with Roma.

Along with an unremarkable exit from both Europe and the Coppa Italia, Luciano Spalletti’s squad has only achieved two victories in their last seven league encounters, which places them 13th in the form table for that timeframe.

Throughout the current season, Juventus has suffered six defeats in 30 Serie A matches, a statistic that highlights only one instance in the past 15 years where they’ve encountered more league losses at this stage of a season.

However, history favors them in their matchup with Genoa, as they have succumbed to their Ligurian rivals only twice in 57 top-flight games held in Turin, winning 44 of those encounters.

The last date they lost at home to this opponent was in 1991, and Juventus has recorded clean sheets in the last four Serie A encounters, collecting 10 points from a potential 12.

The last encounter between the two sides saw Genoa narrowly defeated 1-0 at Stadio Ferraris, but there have been significant changes since that meeting in late August.

Spalletti was appointed as Juventus’s head coach afterward, while Daniele De Rossi has taken the reins at Genoa, who have made strides after a poor start.

Under De Rossi’s management since the autumn, Genoa has averaged a commendable 1.35 points per match, with a notable increase in their goal scoring.

However, they experienced a disappointing outing just prior to the break, losing 2-0 to Udinese despite having dominated the match.

This leaves Genoa only six points above the relegation zone, indicating that De Rossi’s project is still very much in progress.

With a record of just three wins from 14 attempts, Genoa has struggled on their travels, and history does not favor them as they head to Turin.

Team News

Juventus is expected to have a fully fit squad, with forwards Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik returning to action at the end of March.

After several months sidelined, Vlahovic is now available to play upfront, but Yildiz might continue as a false nine with support from Jeremie Boga.

Mattia Perin has seemingly overtaken Michele Di Gregorio as Juve’s starting goalkeeper, while winter arrival Justin Bijlow has quickly established himself as Genoa’s number one.

The latter will likely be positioned behind Norwegian defender Leo Ostigard, who has scored five Serie A goals this season, just one less than the Grifone’s top scorer Lorenzo Colombo.

Both Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Maxwel Cornet are dealing with muscular injuries, leaving their availability for Monday’s match uncertain.

Juventus probable starting XI:

Perrin; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly, Cambiaso; Thuram, Locatelli; Conceicao, McKennie, Boga; Yildiz

Genoa probable starting XI:

Bijlow; Marcandalli, Ostigard, Vasquez; Ellertsson, Frendrup, Malinoxyi, Martin; Messias, Vitinha; Columbus

Despite their slip against Sassuolo, most of Juventus’s defeats this season have occurred on the road – and they maintain a strong home record against Genoa at the Allianz Stadium.

Confronted by an offensively minded away team, Spalletti should come out on top tactically and achieve the milestone of becoming the fourth coach to register 300 Serie A victories.