Serie A Preview: Juventus vs Fiorentina – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Sunday’s high-stakes Serie A encounter between Juventus and Fiorentina could shape both sides’ aspirations for UEFA Champions League qualification next season. There’s nothing but goal difference to separate the clubs before the kick-off, with both seeking a way into the top four.

Weston McKennie and Nicolas Gonzalez were on the scoresheet as Juventus squeezed past rock-bottom Monza 2-1 last weekend. That was their 13th consecutive unbeaten game in all competitions. More importantly, it maintained Thiago Motta’s unbeaten league record in charge.

Despite being the only team alongside Paris Saint-Germain yet to lose a top-flight fixture across Europe’s top-five league this season, Juventus’ notorious inability to turn draws into victories could cost them dearly. Indeed, they languish three points adrift of fourth-placed Lazio pre-round, with nine standing between them and pacesetters Atalanta.

Given Atalanta’s red-hot domestic form, anything other than victory here would likely be the scourge of Juventus’ title ambitions. The same goes for Fiorentina, whose form curve has taken a downward trajectory toward the end of the calendar year following an incredible start under new boss Raffaele Palladino.

After only losing once in their first 14 games under the ex-Monza manager (W9, D4), they’ve lost two in a row, including a 2-1 home defeat to mid-table Udinese on Monday. A game in hand on many direct top-four rivals is only an optical illusion, considering they take on defending champions Inter.

Match Preview

Juventus

Motta must find a way to get Juventus into the win column more often. That particularly rings true when factoring in the Turin giants’ habit of sharing the spoils at the Allianz Stadium. Six of their nine home league outings have ended all square, including three of the last four, making them Europe’s uncontested ‘stalemate specialists.’

However, there’s a silver lining. Juventus have squeaked past Fiorentina 1-0 in their last three league meetings at home. Motta must be optimistic about posting another shutout, knowing his men leading the division’s clean-sheet charts with ten, one of which came in their last four home league matches.

Indeed, three of those four games yielded an identical 2-2 scoreline, with the equalizing goal coming in second-half stoppages twice. A less eye-pleasing affair is on the cards as Juventus’ last nine top-flight clashes against Fiorentina have featured under 2.5 goals, highlighting the potential for a low-scoring showdown.

Fiorentina

Low scoring has been a common theme in Fiorentina’s recent away matches, with five of their last six competitive road trips producing no more than two goals. Palladino would hope for more impactful outcomes from those uneventful fixtures, yet La Viola only won half of them (W3, D1, L2).

Despite losing back-to-back Serie A games for the first time since February, Fiorentina can still end the calendar year on a high. Palladino’s frugal defense conceded the division’s joint-low five away goals ahead of the weekend, keeping five successive clean sheets (W4, D1) before a 1-0 loss at Bologna last time out.

Fiorentina must carry that defensive resilience to Turin if they’re to upset their esteemed hosts. For context, they’ve failed to find the back of the net on their last four competitive visits to Juventus (L4). Furthermore, they’ve scored more than once in just one of their four away league outings since a 6-0 rout of Lecce in mid-October.

Team News

Juventus head into their last Serie A match of 2024 severely weakened by injuries. Gleison Bremer, Juan Cabal, Arkadiusz Milik, Douglas Luiz, and Tim Weah aren’t at Motta’s disposal. Motta has put long-serving captain Danilo up for sale, meaning he’ll likely stay out of the squad.

As for Fiorentina, Marin Pongracic is the only doubt. Edoardo Bove is recovering from a cardiac arrest, but his career in Serie A is over. The same goes for Cristiano Biraghi’s time in Florence after Palladino sidelined him from the team amid growing exit speculation.

Juventus vs Fiorentina Potential Starting Line-ups

Juventus (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Savona, Kalulu, Gatti, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, Gonzalez, Yildiz; Vlahovic.

Fiorentina (4-2-3-1): De Gea; Dodo, Comuzzo, Ranieri, Gosens; Adli, Cataldi; Colpani, Gudmundsson, Sottil; Kean.

Juventus vs Fiorentina Prediction

As aforementioned, this match-up has all the makings of a tepid affair. Therefore, there’s a feeling that whoever draws first blood would likely take home all three points. Fioreinta’s recent decline could be the ultimate confidence booster for Juventus as we back the hosts to claim a precious win.