Juventus Season 2013-2014

[Socrates 8430]

JUVENTUS 1 - 1 FIORENTINA

Arturo Vidal (3′)

Mario Gomez (79′)

March 13, 2014 - 9:05 PM
Juventus Stadium — Turin
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
Attendance:‬ 39610‎

Juventus vs. Fiorentina: 6 Things We Learned

Mar 13, 2014

This was the second time in two weeks that Juventus and Fiorentina played each other. We have seen this kind of thing before: El Clasico as a weekly event. On Thursday, they met in the Europa League, where neither team has played each other before.

AMAZONIAN

This game did have the feel of a derby, and it is true that the two teams share a deep rivalry. Fans sung in full voice, in a full stadium, and put together a full tifo. This competition is not secondary, even if both managers made several changes to their lineup since their previous match on the weekend.

La Viola conceded early but didn’t surrender. Mario Gomez entered the game as a substitute, and when Josip Ilicic lobbed a beautiful ball to Gomez, the German took it down with a delicate touch and slipped a shot underneath Gianluigi Buffon.

Fiorentina drew Juve 1-1 and still remain undefeated in the Europa League this season. Here’s what we now know about these two teams heading for the second leg next week.

AMAZONIAN

Arturo Vidal Is Omnipresent

As usual, Vidal was omnipresent. He is dangerous all over the field. He can play the long ball, scurry around the penalty box and shoot from afar and up close. He even wins the ball in the air.

Terrence Clarke @terrenceKC
Vidal is our best striker, no doubt

AMAZONIAN

It took three minutes for him to get his 18th goal of the season with Juventus. He has scored more than any other teammate.

But the chances he missed also stick out. Vidal could have clinched a hat-trick in the first half alone. He missed two solid headers—one off the crossbar—following his opening goal.

AMAZONIAN

Vincenzo Montella Outdoes Antonio Conte

Juventus made five changes to their starting lineup. Antonio Conte likes to rotate the squad whenever he can, and he makes sure in training that every one of his players is ready to step into the first team.

Andrea Pirlo was one of the few who did not play on the weekend and was one of the fresher midfielders in the game, slinging the ball and making tackles.

AMAZONIAN

The same quality is not available to Vincenzo Montella, but Fiorentina actually fielded six different players than the ones who featured in the starting XI against Juve on Sunday.

But the biggest changes made by Juventus manager Antonio Conte came in attack, and Dani Osvaldo and Sebastian Giovinco just did not do enough to test Fiorentina. It was Giovinco who assisted Vidal for the first goal, but Juventus scored in the middle of mayhem, with the ball bouncing between players before landing at the feet of the Chilean.

AMAZONIAN

Mario Gomez Finally Gets a Goal

Finally, Mario Gomez scored a goal. It had been months since he last found the net—all the way at the beginning of the season in September—and he suffered through injury.

And Gomez kept shooting after that equalizer. It was as if he finally learned the trade again. He looked unencumbered on the field for the first time in a long while. When teammate Josip Ilicic launched the ball up the field, Gomez brought it down with ease and shot a few steps later.

The goal was one fluid motion. Perfect execution.

AMAZONIAN

Juventus Were Too Passive at Home

It is weird: Juventus have scored three goals against top rivals like Roma, Inter and AC Milan at home. They weren’t so ready to kill this game.

Right after Vidal scored the opener, Fiorentina began to press forward, and Alberto Aquilani was the first to really test Gianluigi Buffon. Then Borja Valero joined, and Juventus kept backing up.

AMAZONIAN

The Bianconeri gave up more and more of the ball. Fiorentina’s midfielders began to overrun Juve. It was Montella’s substitutions who did more. Alessandro Matri and Aquilani could not penetrate Juve, who held a firm line before conceding the equalizer. So Gomez came on and scored.

Fiorentina controlled 60 percent of the ball, as per WhoScored.com, and attempted more shots (15) than Juventus (13).

But the league is the priority for Juventus anyway.

AMAZONIAN

Chiellini Back in Action

Here was Giorgio Chiellini, finally back from a thigh injury, showing his true definitions as a left-back. The 29-year-old outran Facundo Roncaglia.

When Antonio Conte first deployed a 3-5-2 formation, Chiellini no longer played as a veritable left-back, but he can still run down the flank and cross the ball with distinction. He drew three fouls, according to WhoScored.com, and caused lots of issues for Fiorentina’s midfielders.

Chiellini is one of the reasons why Juve spread across the pitch so successfully.

AMAZONIAN

Full Support at Juventus Stadium

It’s obvious that Juventus want to play in and host the Europa League final later in May, and 39,610 people attended the match. This game meant a lot.

And maybe it had something to do with the prices.

AMAZONIAN

Mina Rzouki @Minarzouki
Juve ultras looking to boycott the reverse fixture next week. Fiorentina charging €50 when their fans have paid approximately €30 tonight

Fiorentina have done a good job filling their stadium for both Serie A and Europa League matches. We will most likely see a similar atmosphere next week.

[Socrates 8430]

JUVENTUS 1 - 1 FIORENTINA

Arturo Vidal (3′)

Mario Gomez (79′)

March 13, 2014 - 9:05 PM
Juventus Stadium — Turin
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
Attendance:‬ 39610‎

Fiorentina go from underdogs to an advantage

Mar 13, 2014

A broken record, a repeated pattern. When Juventus play Fiorentina, they show off their strength, score the goal(s) and then drop intensity to allow their opponent the opportunity to deliver the killer blow.

AMAZONIAN

The Viola were unlucky not to manage something last weekend, but Thursday in the Europa League, Mario Gomez didn't err. He delivered the perfect finish to grab the away goal and end the match 1-1.

Once again, Fiorentina did what they do best. They controlled possession and rotated the ball, yet they rarely troubled their opponents.

Seemingly impotent in front of goal, they missed Giuseppe Rossi's intellect and Juan Cuadrado's pace and direct play. Without these two assets, the Bianconeri's defence felt confident and capable of dealing with the mild threat.

AMAZONIAN

Vincenzo Montella, on the back of his team's poor performance in the first half of the match over the weekend, opted to flood the midfield and congest the central areas to force Juve out wide. It was initially thought he would deploy a 3-5-2 formation, but he instead chose to play his men in a 4-3-1-2 shape. This seemed an intelligent tactic to deploy to minimise the vertical passes that the Bianconeri deliver through the middle.

Juventus instead operated well on the wings with the likes of Angelo Ogbonna, desperate to make plays from his position, always seeking to deliver the diagonal long ball to his wing-backs placed high up the field. Mauricio Isla and Kwadwo Asamoah throughly enjoyed the attention, attacking the space to help their side cause Fiorentina problems.

For his 18th goal of the season, Arturo Vidal needed less than three minutes to score the opening goal of the game, making his the fourth-fastest goal in the history of the Europa League. Omnipresent and opportunistic, the Chilean is remarkably consistent in these games, finding himself in just the right positions to deliver the perfect finish.

AMAZONIAN

If only Sebastian Giovinco could manage similar feats. A special talent who taunted the Viola back line with his mobility and incredible intelligence, he saw his hard work overshadowed by his woeful finishing. Aiming straight at the goalkeeper or just wide, Giovinco would be on the path to greater recognition if not for that elusive goal. There's no use getting past one's marker, fooling the opponent and producing fine footwork, if it results in mere frustration and missed chances.

The fluidity of the game in the first half all but disappeared in the second. Defined by fatigue, disinterest and needless fouls, Juventus still looked to be in complete control, capable of shutting down any attacking passage of play their opponents attempted to create.

Yet, as we've seen from the Old Lady before, her players continued to make the same errors that gift the opponents chances. They were inaccurate with their passing and careless in possession; it took Fiorentina only a moment to steal the ball in midfield and allow Mario Gomez to strike the killer blow. With that wonderful finish, the tables had turned. The Viola went from being the underdogs to the team with the advantage, the team with the crucial away goal.

AMAZONIAN

Of course, Juventus are always capable of scoring. Averaging 2.3 goals a game this season, they know their attack can produce magic, but can they restrain what is bound to be an extremely motivated Viola side playing in front of their own fans?

Whilst it's understandable that Antonio Conte may want to show confidence in certain players who simply don't have the opportunity to form part of the starting XI, it must be made clear that with Juventus' 14-point advantage in Serie A, the Europa League should be the priority at this stage of the season.

It is also equally important to recognise the strength of the opposition and adapt to the situation accordingly. Those who can excel against a weak Turkish side may not manage as effectively against better opponents such as this marvellously fluid Fiorentina side.

AMAZONIAN

Juve can afford to drop points in the domestic league, but they simply cannot afford to crash out of this European competition. Especially not when the final is being played in their own home ground.

In the next leg, Conte must rally his troops to produce a performance similar to what they conjured up in Turkey against Trabzonspor. There comes a time when domestic glory is simply no longer enough to satisfy the appetite of the fans who demand European victories.

[Socrates 8430]

JUVENTUS 1 - 1 FIORENTINA

Arturo Vidal (3′)

Mario Gomez (79′)

March 13, 2014 - 9:05 PM
Juventus Stadium — Turin
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
Attendance:‬ 39610‎

Player Ratings

Goal rates the players on show as Mario Gomez earns a draw for the Viola
with an important away goal after Arturo Vidal gave the Bianconeri an early lead.

Mar 13, 2014

JUVENTUS

Gianluigi Buffon - The goalkeeper was not tested during the first half but in the second he made important saves, including a late one from Vargas, to keep his team level.

Martín Cáceres - The Uruguayan was very composed in possession and did not put a foot wrong all evening as he had a largely solid outing.

Angelo Ogbonna - The towering defender often left himself with a lot to do and was forced to make some rash challenges after diving in too quickly.

Giorgio Chiellini - A typically solid performance from the Italy international as he always proved strong in the challenge and was rarely beaten in the air.

Mauricio Isla - Found plenty of space out on the right in the opening stages and proved a consistent threat. He also put in a good shift defensively.

ARTURO VIDAL - The Chilean was a constant source of danger and was on the end of all of Juve's most impressive moments. He scored an early opener and also hit the bar.

Andrea Pirlo - Dictated the tempo of the game when Juve were in possession and made a number of astute passes from his deep-lying position.

Claudio Marchisio - Put in a nice ball which was key to the opening goal and regularly made some impressive runs from deep to create chances for his side.

Kwadwo Asamoah - His direct dribbling on the left constantly had Roncaglia under pressure but he also showed great energy to get back and help defensively.

Sebastian Giovinco - Had a role in the opener as his touch was finished off by Vidal for the opening goal, and his movement was decent in the final third.

Pablo Daniel Osvaldo - The former Fiorentina man put in some clever touches in and around the box, but he was unable to test Neto himself throughout the game.

AMAZONIAN

Substitutions

Paul Pogba - Replaced Osvaldo with 15 minutes remaining but failed to make the most of a great chance to score.

Simone Padoin - Brought on for Isla in the 82nd minute.

Fernando Llorente - Came on for Giovinco in the 64th minute and managed to test Neto with a couple of good shots.

AMAZONIAN

FIORENTINA

Neto - The Brazilian stopper could do little to keep out Vidal's opener, but he made a number of decent stops thereafter to keep his side in the game.

Facundo Roncaglia - The right-back was fairly hesitant when going in for the challenge and allowed players past him too easily. He did not push up to offer much-needed width.

Gonzalo Rodríguez - Made a couple of good blocks but left too much space in the channels which Juve exploited, particularly with late runs that he failed to track.

Stefan Savic - The Montengrin made a vital clearance to deny Juve a simple goal in the first half but his positioning was not always so impressive.

Nenad Tomovic - Adventurous down the left to provide some much-needed width to the Viola's play, but his crossing was poor and he left space too often.

Alberto Aquilani - Helped his side control possession effectively for large parts of the game, but he did not push on to support the forwards often enough.

David Pizarro - The Chilean found it difficult to get involved in the game early on but as time continued he started to stamp his authority on the midfield with some crisp passing.

Borja Valero - The Spaniard was unavailable at the weekend due to suspension and the rest served him well as he orchestrated the Viola's possession throughout.

Mati Fernández - His marking as Vidal opened the scoring was poor, but he did force a save from Buffon later in the game with a clever effort.

Josip Iličič - Did not provide much of substance throughout the game, and his decision making was poor as he often passed when he should have taken on his man.

Alessandro Matri - Only got into potentially goalscoring areas on a couple of occasions and never looked like beating Buffon at those points.

AMAZONIAN

Substitutions

Massimo Ambrosini - Replaced Fernandez in the 51st minute and sat deep, allowing Valero to push on into more dangerous areas.

Juan Vargas - Came on for Aquilani in the 77th minute and nearly netted a late winner, but his shot was saved by Buffon.

Mario Gomez - Brought on for Matri in the 67th minute and added the clinical finishing that had been missing as he netted an important away goal in sublime fashion.

[Socrates 8430]

JUVENTUS 1 - 1 FIORENTINA

Arturo Vidal (3′)

Mario Gomez (79′)

March 13, 2014 - 9:05 PM
Juventus Stadium — Turin
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
Attendance:‬ 39610‎

Buffon praises Fiorentina quality

The veteran goalkeeper has conceded that the Viola caused
the Old Lady problems with their skilful players.

Mar 13, 2014

Gianluigi Buffon has admitted that Fiorentina's individual quality made life difficult for Juventus in Thursday's Europa League clash as they had to settle for a 1-1 draw in Turin.

AMAZONIAN

Arturo Vidal gave the Serie A champions an early lead, but Mario Gomez salvaged a late draw for Vincenzo Montella's men and Buffon was quick to heap praise upon the Germany international.

"We were up against a team featuring important individuals who can hurt you with just one move," the goalkeeper told reporters.

"Gomez did well. He's a world-class player, not someone who's just burst onto the scene."

AMAZONIAN

Juventus beat Fiorentina 1-0 at the weekend in Serie A and Buffon was hopeful they could get a similar result, but conceded they were unable to play their own game.

"We wanted to handle the game in the same way we did on Sunday, unfortunately it didn't go our way tonight."

The return takes place at the Artemio Franchi on March 20.

[Socrates 8430]

JUVENTUS 1 - 1 FIORENTINA

Arturo Vidal (3′)

Mario Gomez (79′)

March 13, 2014 - 9:05 PM
Juventus Stadium — Turin
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
Attendance:‬ 39610‎

Borja Valero: 'Fantastic Fiorentina!'

Mar 13, 2014

Borja Valero said Fiorentina were “fantastic” to fight back from a goal after three minutes to draw at Juventus.

AMAZONIAN

Arturo Vidal had opened the scoring almost immediately, but Mario Gomez came off the bench to earn a late 1-1 result in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16.

“Considering the way the game went with that early goal, I’d say we were fantastic,” Borja Valero told Sky Sport Italia.

“We played our game with the ball and in the end got that goal that will be fundamental in the second leg.

AMAZONIAN

“We weren’t set out well defensively at the start and Juve came out fighting, but after the goal we had the courage to take control of the ball in a very difficult stadium to play in.”

With the away goal and a draw, Fiorentina can go through even with a 0-0 at the Stadio Franchi next Thursday.

“The draw won’t change anything, as we always play the same way and will try to win in the second leg.”

AMAZONIAN

It was Gomez’s first goal since his comeback from five months out with a knee injury, as he hadn’t scored since September 1.

“The goal above all is important for Mario, as he has been out for such a long time and will gain confidence from it.”

[Socrates 8430]

JUVENTUS 1 - 1 FIORENTINA

Arturo Vidal (3′)

Mario Gomez (79′)

March 13, 2014 - 9:05 PM
Juventus Stadium — Turin
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
Attendance:‬ 39610‎

Vidal 'bitter' at Euro draw

Mar 13, 2014

Arturo Vidal scored within three minutes, but was left “very bitter” by “a bad performance” in Juventus-Fiorentina.

AMAZONIAN

The Chilean had given the Bianconeri the perfect start to their Europa League clash, but the 1-1 draw in Turin gives Fiorentina the upper hand ahead of the second leg next Thursday.

“I am very bitter, as it was a bad performance,” Vidal told Mediaset.

“There are still 90 minutes to go and we have to win at the Stadio Franchi.”

AMAZONIAN

Vidal is in the record books with the fourth fastest goal in the history of the Europa League.

“Was I happy with my goal? The important thing is to win trophies, not score goals.”

[Socrates 8430]

JUVENTUS 1 - 1 FIORENTINA

Arturo Vidal (3′)

Mario Gomez (79′)

March 13, 2014 - 9:05 PM
Juventus Stadium — Turin
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
Attendance:‬ 39610‎

Buffon: 'Juve thought it was safe'

Mar 13, 2014

Gigi Buffon admits Juventus “thought we could take the 1-0 home” against Fiorentina and were punished.

AMAZONIAN

Arturo Vidal had given them the lead after just three minutes, but Mario Gomez netted for a 1-1 Europa League draw.

“Maybe we thought, considering in recent games we had controlled the second half well, that we could do so again,” the captain told Sky Sport Italia.

“It is also true that it can’t always go well, as we were facing a side with strong individuals who can hurt you at any moment and find that moment to change the game.

AMAZONIAN

“The goal is one of those moves that can happen, especially as Gomez is a great champion. Naturally there are regrets, as we thought that we could take the 1-0 home the same way we had done on Sunday in Serie A.”

Buffon was asked why he had told Vidal to ‘calm down, there’s a second game too’ at one stage.

“I had told Arturo to calm down because he was on a booking and I didn’t want him to miss the second leg.”

[Socrates 8430]

JUVENTUS 1 - 1 FIORENTINA

Arturo Vidal (3′)

Mario Gomez (79′)

March 13, 2014 - 9:05 PM
Juventus Stadium — Turin
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
Attendance:‬ 39610‎

Gomez: Many more goals to come

The striker was over the moon with his equaliser and says
the Viola are desperate to reach the quarter-finals.

Mar 13, 2014

Mario Gomez has promised Fiorentina fans that he will score plenty more goals this season after netting a late equaliser in the 1-1 Europa League draw against Juventus.

AMAZONIAN

Arturo Vidal put the Bianconeri in front in the first-leg of the last-16 tie, but Gomez scored his first goal since returning from a lengthy injury lay-off to set up an exciting second leg.

"Today's goal was an emotional one. I am very happy with it," the former Bayern Munich man told Mediaset Premium.

"I know how important my goals are for this club and for this city. It is not easy to get back after five to six months out of action.

AMAZONIAN

"I feel that my fitness and my power are improving and I will score just like before once I'm in peak condition again."

Gomez then went on to voice his delight with his side's draw and stressed that they never gave up, not even after Vidal's early opener.

AMAZONIAN

"I am pleased for the team, because it was not an easy game in Turin. Juventus are strong opponents. We want to reach the next round. We never gave up and will continue to do our utmost in the return."

The second leg takes place in Florence next Thursday.

[Socrates 8430]

JUVENTUS 1 - 1 FIORENTINA

Arturo Vidal (3′)

Mario Gomez (79′)

March 13, 2014 - 9:05 PM
Juventus Stadium — Turin
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
Attendance:‬ 39610‎

Conte: 'Better than on Sunday'

Mar 13, 2014

Antonio Conte “preferred this performance to Sunday’s” despite the failure to beat Fiorentina in the Europa League.

AMAZONIAN

The Bianconeri earned a 1-0 win in Serie A at the weekend, but here were pegged back 1-1 by a Mario Gomez equaliser late on.

“In all honesty, I preferred this performance to Sunday’s. Of course when you concede a goal it’s hard to justify, but I feel the team created many chances, hitting the bar as well and probably expressed better football than we saw on Sunday.

“When you concede a goal there are always situations to analyse and corrections to be found. We lost the ball in midfield and this through ball took us by surprise, then Gomez did very well to control and beat Buffon as he came out.”

AMAZONIAN

The second leg at the Stadio Franchi is next Thursday and the Viola now have an away goal to count on.

“Optimistic? I am always optimistic. It’s a football match, we play to win and we have won a lot, but it’s fair to draw against Fiorentina, as they are a strong side. I do feel we were a little unlucky tonight, as we could’ve scored more.”

Curiously, Juve lost 4-2 to Fiorentina earlier this season after going 2-0 up and at the weekend risked conceding a late equaliser in a 1-0 victory. Why do the Bianconeri seem to end on a low in these encounters?

AMAZONIAN

“Maybe we shouldn’t take the lead! On a psychological level teams have a different approach, maybe subconsciously, when going in front early on. We have gone in front in every game with Fiorentina this season.

“The 4-2 defeat was strange, as they scored four in 20 minutes. It’s true on Sunday Fiorentina pushed hard in the final stages, but I felt it was a deserved victory.

“If we look at the chances created tonight, then I’d say we were a little unlucky to draw. It was a good performance from both Juventus and Fiorentina, so I don’t see why we should praise one side to the detriment of another.

AMAZONIAN

“It was a great game and a fine advert for Italian football in Europe. I imagine those watching enjoyed the spectacle.”

Conte defended his use of squad rotation, making five changes from the line-up that started in Serie A on Sunday.

AMAZONIAN

“It was not our intention to control the game, that is not the input I give to my players. I had to replace Giovinco as he had a muscular problem, while Osvaldo was dead by that stage. I absolutely do not tell my players to control a 1-0 lead, as I always urge them to score a second and third goal.

“We won 2-0 in Turkey by rotating the squad and nobody complained there. The squad has 22 players, I tried to put my best formation out taking everything into account. Tevez had a knee problem, Marchisio, Vidal and Pirlo are a stratospheric trio in midfield, while Asamoah played wide. These were hardly second choices.”

[Socrates 8430]

JUVENTUS 1 - 1 FIORENTINA

Arturo Vidal (3′)

Mario Gomez (79′)

March 13, 2014 - 9:05 PM
Juventus Stadium — Turin
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
Attendance:‬ 39610‎

Montella: 'Gomez perfect moment'

Mar 13, 2014

Vincenzo Montella said Mario Gomez “couldn’t have picked a better moment” to score in Fiorentina’s draw at Juventus.

AMAZONIAN

“We need to keep the ball, otherwise we struggle,” he told Sky Sport Italia after a 1-1 Europa League result.

“Against Juve that is even more necessary, as they are a stronger team and physically tougher, so we have to play between the lines.

“There were positive signs despite the difficult start, as they were forcing our full-backs to stay tight. I liked the first half perhaps more than the second, as Fiorentina were always in it and almost all Juve’s scoring opportunities were on set plays.

AMAZONIAN

“We always tried to take the initiative and I saw my team enjoy its football in possession.”

Gomez had not scored since September 1 and only recently returned after five months out with a knee injury, but broke his drought in Turin for a precious away goal.

“The first touch was wonderful, but also his physique and international experience. Combine all those and you get a world class goal. He could not have chosen a better moment to get back on the scoresheet.”

AMAZONIAN

Montella was asked about his choices, as he started with Alessandro Matri and Josip Ilicic, while Juan Cuadrado and Manuel Pasqual remained on the bench throughout.

“A Coach prepares a strategy ahead of a game, but some work and others don’t. Against Juve you have to prepare several, as they have so many options and movements.

“Initially we decided to push up and keep the ball wide to avoid them going through the middle and slowly we got the measure of them. I like this style of football, attacking and taking some risks.

AMAZONIAN

“I don’t know how many games Cuadrado has played, but he can be on the bench occasionally. I made a tactical choice too, as we needed players who would dialogue with a certain logic and his strength is more of an illogical approach!”

Fiorentina have the away goal and can therefore afford to draw 0-0 in the second leg next Thursday, but Montella is not convinced.

“We are by no means favourites. Fiorentina have scored regularly for the last two years, so at most we have a slight advantage.”

[Socrates 8430]

JUVENTUS 1 - 1 FIORENTINA

Arturo Vidal (3′)

Mario Gomez (79′)

March 13, 2014 - 9:05 PM
Juventus Stadium — Turin
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
Attendance:‬ 39610‎

Neto: 'Viola heads never dropped'

Mar 13, 2014

Norberto Neto hailed Fiorentina’s attitude after they fought back for a Europa League draw away to Juventus.

AMAZONIAN

“The important thing is that I contributed to a good result,” the goalkeeper told Sky Sport Italia after the 1-1 result.

“I am happy with the character we showed tonight and the way we played after conceding so early. We did well not to let our heads drop, as the team proved it had confidence in its own qualities.”

Neto had been viciously criticised by fans and media at the start of the season, but won them over with his performances.

AMAZONIAN

“Personally I always had faith in my talent and knew that I could give this team a lot. My family helped me, as they were very supportive in the difficult moments.”

The shot-stopper was asked whether he had a chance of making it to the World Cup with Brazil, but was unconvinced.

AMAZONIAN

“I think it’ll be very difficult, knowing the way things work in Brazil. They won the Confederations Cup a few months ago and it’ll be tough to see many changes in that squad.

“However, I’ll keep working and am ready in case I am called.”

[Socrates 8430]

JUVENTUS 1 - 1 FIORENTINA

Arturo Vidal (3′)

Mario Gomez (79′)

March 13, 2014 - 9:05 PM
Juventus Stadium — Turin
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
Attendance:‬ 39610‎

Gomez: An important goal

Mar 14, 2014

Mario Gomez recognised the importance of his goal for Fiorentina, not only for their tie with Juventus, but also for his own progression.

AMAZONIAN

The German netted for the first time yesterday evening since returning from five months out with a knee injury, to earn his side an away goal draw in Turin in the first leg of the Europa League Last 16.

“This is an important goal. I’m happy for the team and for the draw,” Gomez has told reporters post-match.

“It is not easy to play here in Turin, against a strong team. It is not easy to get back in shape after five months away, but the condition is slowly coming back.

AMAZONIAN

“I always said that when I get back into shape, the goals would also be there, as they always have been.

“Even in the last few games I have felt my strength returning. I’m happy for the goal but also to have recovered.”

[Socrates 8430]

JUVENTUS 1 - 1 FIORENTINA

Arturo Vidal (3′)

Mario Gomez (79′)

March 13, 2014 - 9:05 PM
Juventus Stadium — Turin
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
Attendance:‬ 39610‎

Conte: Juventus 'unlucky' not to beat Fiorentina

The coach was frustrated by Mario Gomez's late equaliser in Turin but saw enough
to convince him that the Bianconeri can triumph in the return leg at the Artemio Franchi.

Mar 14, 2014

Juventus coach Antonio Conte thinks his team were better in their 1-1 draw at home to Fiorentina in Thursday's Europa League clash than they were in the 1-0 win at the weekend.

AMAZONIAN

The Scudetto holders got off to a great start at the Juventus Stadium on Thursday in the first leg of the sides' last-16 tie as Arturo Vidal broke the deadlock inside three minutes.

Conte's men, who beat Fiorentina 1-0 on Sunday in Serie A, looked set to take a slender lead into the return game in Florence next Thursday but Mario Gomez restored parity with 11 minutes to go.

Despite the late disappointment of the former Bayern Munich striker's goal, Conte remains upbeat about Juve's chances of progressing past their Serie A rivals and into the last eight.

AMAZONIAN

"I am always optimistic," he told reporters afterwards. "It's a football match, we play to win and we have won a lot, but it's fair to draw against Fiorentina, as they are a strong side.

"I do feel we were a little unlucky, as we could've scored more.

"In all honesty, I preferred this performance to Sunday. Of course, when you concede a goal it's hard to justify, but I feel the team created many chances, hitting the bar as well and probably expressed better football than we saw on Sunday.

AMAZONIAN

"When you concede a goal there are always situations to analyse and corrections to be found. We lost the ball in midfield and this through-ball took us by surprise, then Gomez did very well to control and beat [Gianluigi] Buffon as he came out."

Juve have not been convincing against Fiorentina this season as they lost 4-2 away after going 2-0 up before almost letting a one-goal lead slip at the weekend, but Conte believes the visiting Viola earned their draw with the Bianconeri.

"Maybe we shouldn't take the lead!" joked Conte. "On a psychological level, teams have a different approach, maybe subconsciously, when going in front early on. We have gone in front in every game with Fiorentina this season.

AMAZONIAN

"The 4-2 defeat was strange, as they scored four in 20 minutes. It's true on Sunday that Fiorentina pushed hard in the final stages, but I felt it was a deserved victory.

"If we look at the chances created on Thursday, then I'd say we were a little unlucky to draw. It was a good performance from both Juventus and Fiorentina, so I don't see why we should praise one side to the detriment of another.

"It was a great game and a fine advert for Italian football in Europe. I imagine those watching enjoyed the spectacle."

[Socrates 8430]

JUVENTUS 1 - 1 FIORENTINA

Arturo Vidal (3′)

Mario Gomez (79′)

March 13, 2014 - 9:05 PM
Juventus Stadium — Turin
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
Attendance:‬ 39610‎

'Juventus can afford to alternate' -
Marotta defends Conte's rotation

The Bianconeri's 1-1 draw at home to Fiorentina on Thursday has put their Europa League
challenge in jeopardy, but the club CEO thinks it is wise to change up the starting XI.

Mar 14, 2014

Juventus chief Giuseppe Marotta leapt to the defence of Antonio Conte's rotational policy and says the club can afford to make full use of their squad.

AMAZONIAN

The Bianconeri boss has shown a desire to use a number of second-string players in the Europa League, following the Italian champions' surprise elimination from the Champions League earlier this season.

That decision potentially backfired on Thursday, as Juve were held to a 1-1 draw in the home leg of their last-16 tie with Fiorentina, but Marotta is convinced that rotating players - particularly attackers - is the way forward.

"I must say that I agree with what Conte said in one of his most recent press conferences," the Juve CEO told Tuttosport. "Which is that, being committed on two fronts - two important fronts - we have to alternate the team.

AMAZONIAN

"Because we want to participate as protagonists in both Serie A and the Europa League. Starting from the point of view that our squad, especially the offensive area, is very large and competitive so we can even afford to make the changes."

Conte's men travel to Florence needing a win or a higher scoring draw than 1-1 to qualify for the quarter-final stage of the European competition, which will see its final held at the Bianconeri's home ground.

Before that clash, they are back in Serie A action with a visit to Genoa on Sunday.

[Socrates 8430]

JUVENTUS 1 - 1 FIORENTINA

Arturo Vidal (3′)

Mario Gomez (79′)

March 13, 2014 - 9:05 PM
Juventus Stadium — Turin
Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)
Attendance:‬ 39610‎

‘Viola must be better next week’

Mar 14, 2014

Mario Gomez says Fiorentina must play even better in next week’s Europa League second leg if they want to progress against Juventus.

AMAZONIAN

The German international scored a late equaliser in last night’s 1-1 draw at Juventus Stadium, his first since his comeback from injury.

“I am pleased with the goal but also to be back,” Gomez wrote on his official Facebook page.

“It’s not easy coming back after five months out but my fitness is getting there little by little.

AMAZONIAN

“My understanding with my teammates is improving every day too.

“I am pleased with the draw, most of all for the fans and the club.

“But we have only got a good result in the away leg.

AMAZONIAN

“For the return game we need an even better performance.

“Thank you very much for all your support!”

[Socrates 8430]

GENOA - JUVENTUS

March 16, 2014 - 20:45 PM
Luigi Ferraris Stadium — Genoa
Referee: Paolo Silvio Mazzoleni

Chiellini:‘Juve focused on Genoa’

Mar 14, 2014

Giorgio Chiellini says that Juventus are fully focused on their match against Genoa in Serie A despite Europa League progress now being in the balance.

AMAZONIAN

The Old Lady drew 1-1 with rivals Fiorentina in last night’s Round of 16 first leg but the 29-year-old says they cannot look to the return leg just yet.

“We now have a match against Genoa on Sunday,” Chiellini said to JTV.

AMAZONIAN

“For us it is a very important match as we need to maintain our advantage over Roma and consolidate our position at the top.

“Then, next Thursday, we will play at 100 per cent during the match, which I am sure will be tough but special game for everyone.”

http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

[Socrates 8430]

GENOA - JUVENTUS

March 16, 2014 - 20:45 PM
Luigi Ferraris Stadium — Genoa
Referee: Paolo Silvio Mazzoleni

Perin: 'Buffon is my idol'

Mar 15, 2014

Mattia Perin comes face to face with his “idol” Gigi Buffon on Sunday as Juventus visit Genoa.

AMAZONIAN

The Serie A tie kicks off tomorrow night at 20.45 CET.

“Buffon is my idol,” goalkeeper Perin told the official Genoa website.

“He’s not just an example for me, but for all goalkeepers who will never be able to reach his level.

AMAZONIAN

“For a young player who needs to grow a great deal, his professionalism and his advice allow us to learn constantly.”

The pair worked together last week, as Perin received his debut senior Italy call-up for the friendly against Spain.

AMAZONIAN

They will be opponents on Sunday and the former Pescara shot-stopper can’t wait.

“It is always difficult when faced with champions. We are playing against the strongest team in Italy, but we’ll put our qualities on to the pitch and our hunger to do well.”

http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

[Socrates 8430]

GENOA - JUVENTUS

March 16, 2014 - 20:45 PM
Luigi Ferraris Stadium — Genoa
Referee: Paolo Silvio Mazzoleni

Gasperini: 'Juve are Italy's Bayern'

Mar 15, 2014

Genoa Coach Gian Piero Gasperini said Juventus are “the Bayern Munich of Italy,” so his team must give 110 per cent.

AMAZONIAN

The sides go head-to-head on Sunday at 20.45 CET.

“Tomorrow we’ll be facing the best Juventus side and that is very motivating for us,” said Gasp in his Press conference.

“It is important to give 110 per cent and put in a great performance. Juve have always given their best, but we will try to show how much we’ve improved since the last meeting.

AMAZONIAN

“I want to see a Genoa side that knows everything is up for grabs. We’ll do everything within our capabilities to trouble Juventus.

“This is a highly prestigious test and we are on home turf, so that’ll be an advantage. Juve are capable of hurting anyone and have won practically every game this season.

“Juventus are like the Bayern Munich of Italy, as there is a gap between them and the other medium-top level teams. We mustn’t give them any gifts and the thing I’d regret the most would be stupid mistakes, like the ones against Chievo.”

AMAZONIAN

Isaac Cofie is suspended, while Luca Antonini, Alessandro Gamberini, Sime Vrsaljko and Juraj Kucka are injured.

“We have always put in good performances against Juve at Marassi, so we’ll try again tomorrow. The team trained well this week despite all the absences.

AMAZONIAN

“The problem is that usually against the big clubs you have to run harder than them as your only advantage, but with Juventus that doesn’t apply, because they work harder any anyone. That is what makes the game even more complicated.”


Genoa squad for Juventus: Albertoni, Bizzarri, Perin; Antonelli, Burdisso, De Ceglie, De Maio, Marchese, Motta, Portanova; Bertolacci, Cabral, Matuzalem, Sturaro; Calaiò, Centurion, Fetfatzidis, Gilardino, Konate, Sculli

http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

[Socrates 8430]

GENOA - JUVENTUS

March 16, 2014 - 20:45 PM
Luigi Ferraris Stadium — Genoa
Referee: Paolo Silvio Mazzoleni

Tevez and Marchisio miss Genoa

Mar 15, 2014

Juventus are without Carlos Tevez, Sebastian Giovinco and Claudio Marchisio against Genoa on Sunday.

AMAZONIAN

It kicks off at 20.45 CET at Marassi.

The Serie A tie falls between the two legs of the Europa League Round of 16 against Fiorentina.

Tevez missed Thursday’s 1-1 draw in Turin due to a muscular problem and has still not fully recovered, so will continue to rest.

AMAZONIAN

Marchisio and Giovinco both suffered muscular injuries in that Fiorentina match, but tests ruled out serious damage.

Nonetheless, they will be rested too as Juve travel to Genoa with two youth team players Vykintas Slivka and Younes Bnou-Marzouk.

AMAZONIAN

Juventus squad for Genoa: Buffon, Chiellini, Caceres, Ogbonna, Pogba, Peluso, Llorente, Barzagli, Osvaldo, Bonucci, Padoin, Pirlo, Asamoah, Vidal, Lichtsteiner, Quagliarella, Storari, Isla, Rubinho, Slivka, Marzouk

http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

[Socrates 8430]

GENOA - JUVENTUS

March 16, 2014 - 20:45 PM
Luigi Ferraris Stadium — Genoa
Referee: Paolo Silvio Mazzoleni

Juventus vs. Genoa Preview: Round 28 —
Sunday night football at the Ferraris

Hey, a club other than Fiorentina! How nice of the schedule to work out that way!

Mar 15, 2014

When Genoa came to Juventus Stadium at the end of October, things were a little different than they are now. Juve were coming off a complete disaster in Florence and then a frustrating 2-1 defeat at the hands of Real Madrid in the group stages of the Champions League. Losing two games in a row, no matter what combination of competitions, hasn't exactly been a common occurrence since Antonio Conte became manager.

AMAZONIAN

Thankfully, it's a wee bit different now.

The times have changed in Juventus' favor. Well, for the most part, at least. There's no denying that. Instead of looking up at Roma atop the league table, Juventus is seeing its lead seemingly grow bigger and bigger every six or seven days. "Move along, kids. A runaway freight train storming through town." is what some people might say in regards to what Juve are doing to their Serie A opposition right now. Teams in Italy have tried to beat Juventus these past four months, yet nobody has actually done so.

The European competition struggles, well, we'll discuss those later.

AMAZONIAN

But for now, it's all about the weekend.

As Conte's squad roll into the Luigi Ferraris to face a rejuvenated Genoa side under former Juve primavera boss Gian Piero Gasperini, the current unbeaten run faces the club it started against. Nineteen league games have come and gone and Juventus have yet to be beaten during that stretch. It started against Genoa at the end of October in Turin and has now been carried over half the season, spanning over nearly five months and into tomorrow's clash at the Ferraris.

And why not keep things going and get another win over Genoa?

Glad you agree.

AMAZONIAN

GOOD NEWS

Genoa is actually giving playing time to former Juventus legend Marco Motta. No, really. A team in the top half of the Serie A table has Marco Motta in its starting lineup. Let that sink in for a second. And then laugh.


BAD NEWS

Claudio Marchisio is injured, but nothing's serious, according to the man himself. Just when he was starting to play well again, too...

AMAZONIAN

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

1. Squad rotation, or no squad rotation? That is the question.

In a way, this could say just how serious Antonio Conte is going to be taking Thursday's trip to Florence. Why? Well, let's face it: Juventus are blowing away the competition in Serie A right now. Juve's 14-point lead atop the table is a season high and it doesn't seem like it's going to get cut by any considerable amount any time soon. Does that mean with some room to play with Conte will field some of the reserves and rest some players with the second leg against Fiorentina just a few days away? You would like to think he has considered it, but we won't truly know until the lineups are released. One of the many things we are left to wonder about since Conte doesn't do pre-match press conference before league games these days, I guess.

AMAZONIAN

2. How Juventus respond to Thursday's disappointment.

First, words from Giorgio Chiellini.

JuventusFC ✔ @juventusfcen
.@chiellini: I think it's still all to play for in the #UEL. It's disappointing we didn't get the win we thought we deserved.

I'm looking at the second sentence in particular since this is the game after that game Chiellini is referencing. It's pretty easy to be disappointed about the result when you play as well as Juve did in the first half and then give up the game-tying goal with less than 15 minutes to go. But this is the thing that I'm wondering when it comes to Juventus tomorrow: Will a disappointed Juventus mean an angry Juventus against Genoa? That could very well be the difference in how the game goes. Conte's men can either come out sluggish and lag through 90 minutes or they be pissed off from the opening whistle and take a little frustration on a Genoa team that is playing some pretty decent football right now.

AMAZONIAN

3. Carlos Tevez's health status.

It wasn't much of a surprise that Carlos Tevez didn't start Thursday's match against Fiorentina. But it was a bit of a eyebrow-raiser to some when he wasn't even included in the squad list that Conte released on Wednesday afternoon.

JuventusFC ✔ @juventusfcen
#Conte: We'll monitor the condition of @carlitos3210 ahead of the fixtures we've got on the horizon.

That is what Conte had to say during his pre-match press conference before Leg 1 of Juventus-Fiorentina in the Europa League. And since then, there's been very little word as to how Tevez is doing. Maybe it's a case of 'No news is good news." I'd be pretty okay with that. But if Conte is planning on taking the second leg against Fiorentina completely serious, then maybe it would be the best thing for all parties involved to just rest Tevez another couple of days without risking any kind of him reaggravating his injury. I'm sure some the combination of Dani Osvaldo and Fernando Llorente and Sebastian Giovinco can hold things down for another game.

UPDATE: No Sebastian Giovinco either for the trip to Genoa after he also has been given a few days to rest and no included included in the traveling squad by Conte. Just like Marchisio, the diagnosis is nothing serious.

AMAZONIAN

4. The impact of one Paul Labile Pogba.

The last few weeks haven't been very kind of Mr. Pogba, who just so happens to be celebrating his 21st birthday today. What better way to ring in a birthday than to snap out of a funk, right? Well, that's the hope for Pogba. With Marchisio all but certainly out for the trip to Genoa after being injured against Fiorentina on Thursday, there's no better alternative to play in front of Pogba right now. (You Simone Padoin fanboys, sit yourselves down right now.) And unlike the two other central midfielders who are picked to start against Genoa, Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo, Pogba has had some time to rest after coming off the bench on Thursday. Maybe that will help, maybe it won't. But on thing is definitely for sure: This current version of Pogba isn't the one we saw the first couple months of the season. And I miss that early-season Pogba. I can't lie.

AMAZONIAN

5. The possibility of Genoa keeper Mattia Perin going H.A.M.

As we've come to see over the last few years, Juventus have a chance to take control of games played against Serie A opponents. Because of that, the number of shots on the opponents' goal seem to weigh heavily in Juve's favor. And while not limited to just Juventus, Genoa keeper Mattia Perin and his massive amount of hair is certainly used to making a good number of saves this season. Nobody has made more saves than the Perin in the current campaign (109) other than Rafael of Hellas Verona. It's pretty simple to figure out that Perin has had a few games where he just takes things over and dominates, making save after save with many of them being high quality ones at that. In the first Juve-Genoa matchup this season, Perin stopped seven shots — easily making him Genoa's Man of the Match on WhoScored. All those saves are paying off for the 21-year-old Perin, who seems like he's on the cusp of becoming a regular in the Italian national team.


My starting XI (3-5-2): Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Ogbonna; Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Pirlo, Pogba, Peluso; Llorente, Osvaldo

http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

[Socrates 8430]

GENOA - JUVENTUS

March 16, 2014 - 20:45 PM
Luigi Ferraris Stadium — Genoa
Referee: Paolo Silvio Mazzoleni

Genoa-Juventus Preview:
Bianconeri face tough test at the Luigi Ferraris

The Grifone have lost just one of their last 10 league fixtures at home
but Antonio Conte's men are likely to be buoyed by the return of Carlos Tevez.

Mar 15, 2014

Genoa believe they can cause one of the upsets of the Serie A season by defeating runaway leaders Juventus on Sunday.

AMAZONIAN

The Grifone should enter the match fresher after the Bianconeri were held to a 1-1 draw by Fiorentina in the opening leg of their Europa League last-16 tie on Thursday.

Gian Piero Gasperini's side did not have to play in midweek and will have been encouraged by the Viola's fighting display against the reigning champions.

The underdogs will also take heart from their excellent home record, which has seen them lose just one of their last 10 Serie A fixtures.

AMAZONIAN

A 2-1 defeat at Chievo last week ended a four-match unbeaten run, but Genoa's Luca Antonelli remains hopeful, despite acknowledging the size of the task.

"We will try to make the impossible possible," the defender is quoted as telling the club's website ahead of the home match.

"The difference between the two sides in terms of value and our positions in the table is clear.

AMAZONIAN

"But there is a fantastic vibrancy around the place and that could help us stop the Bianconeri."

Genoa defensive duo Sime Vrsaljko and Alessandro Gamberini will miss through injury, while Juraj Kucka, Luca Antonini and Antonio Donnaruma are also expected to be absent. Ghanaian Isaac Cofie is suspended.

Alberto Gilardino is available for selection, though, and the former AC Milan forward has netted 12 goals in 26 league matches this season.

AMAZONIAN

Juventus, however, have only lost once in Serie A this season and lead the second-placed Roma by 14 points.

Antonio Conte will ask his side for a response after their disappointing draw on Thursday and his side are in great league form.

They have won their last four Serie A encounters, conceding just one goal in the process, and beat Genoa 2-0 in Turin in October.

AMAZONIAN

France midfielder Paul Pogba has been one of the club's key men this season and said Conte has stars to pick from in every position.

"What's special about Juventus? Excellent players, like Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal," Pogba said on Friday.

AMAZONIAN

"I'm happy to play alongside so many world-class names. They're the best in Italy and I need to learn from them if I'm to follow in their footsteps and reach the very top."

Pirlo will return from a one-match Serie A suspension for Juve, who are likely to recall Carlos Tevez, with the Argentine not featuring against Fiorentina on Thursday.

AMAZONIAN

Head to Head

Serie A ‎-‎ Oct 27, 2013 - Juventus 2 - 0 Genoa
Serie A ‎- Jan 26, 2013 - Juventus 1 - 1 Genoa
Serie A ‎-‎ Sep 16, 2012 - Genoa 1 - 3 Juventus
Serie A ‎-‎ Mar 11, 2012 - Genoa 0 - 0 Juventus
Serie A ‎-‎ Oct 22, 2011 - Juventus 2 - 2 Genoa

AMAZONIAN

Last Five Matches

GENOA

Mar 9, 2014 - Chievo 2 - 1 Genoa - Serie A
Mar 2, 2014 - Genoa 2 - 0 Catania - Serie A
Feb 24, 2014 - SSC Napoli 1 - 1 Genoa - Serie A
Feb 16, 2014 - Genoa 3 - 3 Udinese - Serie A
Feb 9, 2014 - Livorno 0 - 1 Genoa - Serie A


JUVENTUS

Mar 13, 2014 - Juventus 1 - 1 Fiorentina - EL
Mar 9, 2014 - Juventus 1 - 0 Fiorentina - Serie A
Mar 2, 2014 - AC Milan 0 - 2 Juventus - Serie A
Feb 27, 2014 - Trabzonspor AŞ 0 - 2 Juventus - EL
Feb 23, 2014 - Juventus 1 - 0 Torino - Serie A

http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

[Socrates 8430]

GENOA - JUVENTUS

March 16, 2014 - 20:45 PM
Luigi Ferraris Stadium — Genoa
Referee: Paolo Silvio Mazzoleni

MATCH PREVIEW

Mar 15, 2014

Comfortably occupying a mid-table position, Genoa will aim to stop a Juventus side sweeping all before them in Serie A.

AMAZONIAN

When Alberto Gilardino conjured an 88th minute equaliser last Sunday, Genoa thought they would leave Verona with a point. Instead, they returned home empty-handed. In the third minute of injury time Chievo’s Alberto Paloschi beat Mattia Perin from the penalty spot to crush Grifone hearts. It was his second successful spot-kick of the game.

Gian Piero Gasperini called the loss, their first since early February, ‘unfair’. Under Gasp, the Grifoni have done well to recover from the early-season mire. Now 11th, in order to return to the winners list they must do what Luca Antonelli has called ‘making the impossible possible’.

Alessandro Gamberini misses out against the League leaders and is joined on the sidelines by Antonio Donnarumma, Sime Vrsaljko, Luca Antonini and Juraj Kucka – all injured – plus the suspended Issac Cofie.

AMAZONIAN

Juventus continued their charge towards the Scudetto with a slender 1-0 victory over Fiorentina. A moment of Kwadwo Asamoah magic sealed the contest with their old rivals. It allowed Antonio Conte’s men to extend the gap over Roma to 14 points, with just 11 matches remaining.

Conte admitted afterwards that his side are ‘50 per cent the Champions of Italy’. Yet with commitments strewn between Serie A and the Europa League, he’s hoping Thursday encounters don’t catch his side unaware physically or mentally that weekend. Conte also admitted rotation is essential. The second clash in the Juventus-Fiorentina-thon ended in a draw on Thursday.

Andrea Pirlo returns from a one-match ban, leaving Mirko Vucinic and Simone Pepe as those skipping the trip to the port city. Carlos Tevez missed the Europa clash, but is expected to play here.

AMAZONIAN

Juve have the edge at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, winning 19 top-flight encounters, including last season’s 3-1 result. Genoa have won 16 of the 46 meetings, with a further 11 draws.


Keep an eye on: Alberto Gilardino (Genoa) – The Italian international grabbed his 12th goal of the campaign at Chievo last week, albeit in a losing battle. A constant thorn for defenders, Gilardino will be critical for the Grifoni against a defence which has kept three consecutive Serie A clean sheets.

AMAZONIAN

Form guide: Genoa (W D D W L) Juventus (D W W W W)

Last season: Genoa 1-3 Juventus

Stat fact: Genoa have won just once in their six home matches against Juventus since the pair were promoted in 2007.

AMAZONIAN

GENOA (probable): Perin; De Maio, Burdisso, Marchese; Motta, Matuzalem, Bertolacci, Antonelli; Konate, Gilardino, Sculli

JUVENTUS (probable): Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, Asamoah; Tevez, Llorente

http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

[Socrates 8430]

GENOA - JUVENTUS

March 16, 2014 - 20:45 PM
Luigi Ferraris Stadium — Genoa
Referee: Paolo Silvio Mazzoleni

Juventus News – Genoa Updates

Mar 15, 2014

This whole “Purple Pain” concept isn’t working — Juve seem to be doing most of the suffering.

AMAZONIAN

What on earth is going on here? Why are the Bianconeri wasting the chance for revenge?

On Sunday, Fiorentina forced Juventus to sit back and absorb pressure for large stretches (and at home, no less). And while Juve eventually held onto their 1-0 lead, we figured they weren’t interested in suffering again when they faced the Viola in the Europa League on Thursday. When Arturo Vidal scored within the first 10 minutes, it looked like Juve were intent on racking up as many goals as possible.

By the end of 90 minutes, Fiorentina had scored a precious away goal to tie the aggregate score at 1-1, after consistently pressuring Juve for large stretches in the first half and most of the second.

AMAZONIAN

The result was initially baffling: How could Juve suffer such attacks from Fiorentina, at home, in almost the exact same manner, twice in a row? And what happened to our Viola Vendetta?

To be fair, Juve gave a good account of themselves in the first half. Vidal followed his goal by hitting the crossbar, Sebastian Giovinco worked hard to create chances, Kwadwo Asamoah looked dangerous once again, and the back line of Giorgio Chiellini, Angelo Ogbonna and Martin Caceres more or less took care of business. A second or even third goal wasn’t out of the question, despite some shaky moments.

But for most of the second half, it conspicuously looked as if Juve were sitting on their 1-0 lead — not advisable in a two-leg, aggregate score format. Gigi Buffon suspected they were, Antonio Conte denied directing them to do so, and to be fair that theory dismisses how dangerous Fiorentina were. But for all intents and purposes, Juve were inviting disaster from a squad who live to see them suffer.

AMAZONIAN

Mario Gomez’s equalizer (let’s not even think about the Bayern Munich connection) sealed the deal: Juve have once again made things “interesting” for themselves in Europe.

And yet, the good thing about “interesting” is that it’s a neutral value: Juve can make of this situation what they will. Hopefully, they can respond in the second leg by pulling off a commanding, masterful performance in Florence, demoralizing Fiorentina in front of their home crowd and moving on to further European conquests: Purple Pain, Part 3.

We have a whole week to prepare for that, but in the meantime it’s back to Serie A, where Genoa await.

AMAZONIAN

Genoa Updates: Bonucci, Lichtsteiner and Tevez Return

We expected a very strong lineup for Fiorentina on Thursday, but the Bianconeri were a few pieces short of Classic Juve 2014.

Antonio Conte plans on reinstating several key players for the trip to Genoa — though hopefully he’ll use them again in Florence next Thursday.

On Sunday, Gigi Buffon will be shielded by a rested Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci, both of whom will start alongside either Giorgio Chiellini or Angelo Ogbonna. Martin Caceres is technically available, but he’s been working overtime and probably deserves a rest. In retrospect, it was strange not to see Bonucci against Fiorentina on Thursday, since he had sat out Sunday, too. There’s no report of an injury, as far as I know. The question of whether Leo would have held off Gomez to preserve the 1-0 aggregate lead is academic, but surely some fresh legs would have helped.

AMAZONIAN

On the wings, Stephan Lichtsteiner will return on the right flank, with Federico Peluso on the left. In central midfield, Paul Pogba will certainly start, as he came off the bench on Thursday (and almost scored a beautiful go-ahead goal in the final minutes). The situation gets dicey after that, since Arturo Vidal did his usual endless running on Thursday, Andrea Pirlo looked very ragged and slow for most of the match and Claudio Marchisio was limping by the end (he may have picked up a thigh strain and is being closely monitored). As we’ve come to expect, two of the three will be starting — but honestly, one of them should be rested, even if it means starting Simone Padoin. Next week’s second leg with Fiorentina should be prioritized here. Makes you miss Giaccherini even more, no?

In attack, Carlos Tevez will return to partner with Fernando Llorente. The two were slated to start on Thursday, but Tevez was rested as a precautionary measure, while Conte decided to bet on the nascent understanding between Sebastian Giovinco and Dani Osvaldo. While it didn’t quite work out, you couldn’t blame Antonio for thinking it would — they were excellent together in Turkey. Beyond them, only Fabio Quagliarella remains on the bench, since Mirko Vucinic is still another two weeks away from availability.

Despite Juve’s comfortable Serie A lead, the trip to Genoa will be a tricky one for two reasons. First, Genoa are a solidly mid-table squad that can cause problems any given week. Second, Juve are no doubt distracted by the Fiorentina fixtures, which could leave them exposed to a domestic setback.

AMAZONIAN

Still, there is no reason for Juve not to win at Genoa, especially with this lineup. Plus, there’s really no excuse for losing points in the campionato, especially this year. But they’ll be playing with one eye on next Thursday, which will be (or at least should be) a very important test for the Antonio Conte era: the chance to qualitatively progress as a squad by winning a crucial knockout fixture in Europe.

In a perfect Ju-niverse, the Bianconeri should be able to take out Genoa and save some energy for the Viola Vendetta.

ANDIAMO, RAGAZZI!!!

AMAZONIAN

Mazzoleni Refs Juve-Genoa

Nice to have a break from Italian referee drama on Thursday, no?

Anyway, back to ol’ scandalmongering Serie A. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Paolo Silvio Mazzoleni of Lombardy will officiate Juve’s clash with Genoa, which according to the Mothership will be his third Bianconeri match this season — and third away fixture as well. Mazzoleni last presided over a 1-0 win at the Stadio Olimpico over Torino and a 2-0 win at Bologna.

AMAZONIAN

In 15 Mazzoleni matches Juve have a record of 10 wins, four draws and one loss—very encouraging.

Mazzoleni’s linesmen will be Ghiandai (there’s that Ben Kingsley impersonator again) and Manganelli. The man know only as Barbirati will be fourth official, who will also attempt to use reverse psychology to make Conte use his substitutions a bit earlier (if my five American dollars get there in time).

http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

[Socrates 8430]

GENOA - JUVENTUS

March 16, 2014 - 20:45 PM
Luigi Ferraris Stadium — Genoa
Referee: Paolo Silvio Mazzoleni

Genoa-Juventus Betting Preview:
Goals at both ends in an exciting encounter

With nothing but pride to play for, Al Hain-Cole expects Il Grifone to throw
caution to the wind in an exciting game against Antonio Conte's Serie A champions on Sunday.

Mar 16, 2014

Juventus have the chance to extend their lead at the top of Serie A to an impressive 17 points when they travel to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris to take on Genoa.

AMAZONIAN

With closest rivals Roma and Napoli not in action until Monday, Antonio Conte’s men are clear 4/11 (1.36) favourites with William Hill to tighten their grip on a third consecutive Scudetto even further with a fifth straight league win in this one.

Having lost just one of their last 10 matches on home turf, Il Grifone are available at to 17/2 (9.50) to consign their guests to just a second defeat of the Serie A season.

Three of the last five meetings between the sides have resulted in a draw, and you can get odds of 7/2 (4.50) on them cancelling each other out once again this time out.

AMAZONIAN

Such is their instinctive winning habit that the champions have breezed through potentially tense recent encounters with Torino, AC Milan and Fiorentina to come out on top without even conceding a single goal.

However, sitting comfortably in mid-table with no genuine chance of either European qualification nor a relegation struggle, the pressure surrounding Sunday’s opponents will be nothing like that of La Vecchia Signora’s recent conquests, lending them a freedom that should make for a refreshingly open game.

AMAZONIAN

Having failed to score just once in their last 10 games on home soil, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side can attack their distinguished guests with confidence, just as they threw caution to the wind in recent 3-3 draws against both Fiorentina and Udinese.

Considering Juventus have conceded in four of their last five league games on the road and not drawn a blank in over a year in Serie A, odds of 5/4 (2.25) seem like excellent value on both teams finding the net in an end-to-end match on Sunday.

http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

[Socrates 8430]

GENOA - JUVENTUS

March 16, 2014 - 20:45 PM
Luigi Ferraris Stadium — Genoa
Referee: Paolo Silvio Mazzoleni

Genoa coach looking forward to Juventus clash

Mar 16, 2014

Genoa boss Gian Piero Gasperini is optimistic that his side can get a result when they face Juventus at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Sunday night.

AMAZONIAN

Though the Rossoblu lost the reverse fixture at Turin 2-0 earlier this season, Gasperini believes that his side will put up a better performance this time.

“It is an event of great prestige,” he told the press. “We are in our home and this will be our strength.”

The former Inter coach then called the Old Lady to be the Bayern Munich of Italian football and cautioned that Genoa could not commit stupid mistakes.

AMAZONIAN

Presently in his second spell with the Rossoblu, the 56-year-old is confident he has turned around the fortunes at the club since taking over in September.

“When I arrived in Genoa it was a different situation,” he continued. ” However, now the president and I feel quiet satisfied and we are all very happy.

AMAZONIAN

“That’s why tonight we want to do very well.”

Genoa, who lost to Chievo 2-1 last weekend, are currently sitting 11th on 35 points.

http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111