Juventus Season 2015-2016

[Socrates 8524]

INTER - JUVENTUS

3 - 0

Aggregate 3 - 3
Juventus lead 5 - 3 on penalties

Marcelo Brozović (16')
Ivan Perišić (49')
Marcelo Brozović (82'-penalty)

Coppa Italia TIM - Semi-final 2nd leg
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2016 - 8:45 PM
Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, Milan
Referee: Andrea Gervasoni

Allegri: 'Juve assumed it was done'

http://www.football-italia.net/80712/allegri-juve-assumed-it-was-done?

Mar 3, 2016

Max Allegri concedes Juventus were lulled into a false sense of security by the 3-0 first leg result against Inter.

The Bianconeri won 3-0 in Turin, but were beaten at San Siro by the same scoreline and eventually squeezed through to the Coppa Italia Final on penalties.

“It wasn’t easy to reach the Final, as we had such a packed fixture list. First of all I must compliment the lads for what they are doing,” the Coach told Rai Sport.

“Of course tonight for 70 minutes we didn’t play at all. Inter ran hard and put pressure on us, from that point on we started to move well and created some chances to avoid extra time. After that the lads did well to win on penalties and achieve our objective.

“The first goal was probably a bit of a foul, but having said that we should’ve dealt with it better and not handed the chance to Inter.

“The second goal was a mistaken challenge, the third a penalty on a 50 metre pass. We have to do better.

“I did expect Inter to cause us problems and I said many times in the Press conference that we weren’t qualified. It would’ve been better to start at 0-0, because having a 3-0 lead took something away from us in terms of concentration.

“It’s happened to me before, my Milan won the first leg 3-0 with Arsenal, then we were 4-0 down in London. It’s a dangerous situation.

“This is another part of the growth process, as when you have young players and go into games that seem easy and aren’t, you learn to do better. Inter deserve credit and we deserve criticism.

“Inter were very intense and we didn’t keep the right distances. I don’t think we managed two consecutive passes in the first half and so we were struggling in possession as well as off. Clearly I didn’t prepare them properly for the game.

“Daniele Rugani has great quality and will one day be a first choice player for Juventus. He needs to gain experience, above all when playing three at the back, as he’s not accustomed to it. He needs to relax, as he has improved a great deal since he arrived.

“Part of the learning process is putting in some performances that aren’t great.”

Allegri was asked if he was going to tweet his usual ‘Fiuuu’ – Italian for ‘phew.’

“Do I say ‘Phew’ after this? A huge phew! A log phewm!”

[Socrates 8524]

INTER - JUVENTUS

3 - 0

Aggregate 3 - 3
Juventus lead 5 - 3 on penalties

Marcelo Brozović (16')
Ivan Perišić (49')
Marcelo Brozović (82'-penalty)

Coppa Italia TIM - Semi-final 2nd leg
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2016 - 8:45 PM
Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, Milan
Referee: Andrea Gervasoni

Inter Milan vs. Juventus: Winners
and Losers from Coppa Italia

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2621328-inter-milan-vs-juventus-winners-and-losers-from-coppa-italia?

Mar 3, 2016

Juventus arrived at the San Siro on Wednesday on the strength of a 3-0 win over Inter Milan in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final. All they needed to do was hold that lead. Score a goal away from home, and they would force Inter to score five. Given the way Juve dominated Inter in league play at the weekend, Juve were expected to cruise through.

But as the poet Robert Burns said, "The best-laid plans of mice and men go oft awry."

Massimiliano Allegri got his tactics wrong from the get-go, and Inter took advantage of a questionable call by referee Andrea Gervasoni to get into the game early. Another early one in the second half breathed real life into the tie, and when Gervasoni pointed to the spot with eight minutes left, Inter completed their improbable comeback to force extra time.

An ill-tempered affair full of yellow cards and cramping legs ended up going to penalties after Pablo Carrizo pulled a fantastic double save against Alvaro Morata in the game's last 10 seconds.

When the chips went down, the winning mentality fostered at Juve for the last four years finally shone through. All five of their penalty-takers buried their shots, while Rodrigo Palacio put Inter's second into the crossbar. The Nerazzurri protested, but Gervasoni confidently pointed to his watch, assuring them that the San Siro's goal-line technology had indicated that the ball did not cross the line.

Let's take a look at some of the winners and losers in a wild and wacky game.


Winner: Roberto Mancini

Roberto Mancini wasn't expected to turn the tie around after Juve so dominated the first leg, but he did need his team to show some spark.

Since the start of the new year, Inter has only won three league games and four times overall, falling from first to fifth. After six months to adjust to getting back on the Inter bench and an entire summer to remake the team the way he wanted it, Inter are going backward, not forward, and if they miss out on European competition entirely, it will rightly be Mancini who takes responsibility.

According to La giornalaccio rosa dello Sport (h/t Football Italia), the man who won three titles with Inter in the mid-2000s needs to win four of his next five league games in order to keep his job, and he was expected to have his team at least play competitively on Wednesday.

Compete they did. The team's core weakness—the extreme lack of creativity in midfield—remained, but they took the opportunities that came to them and pressed Juve to the absolute limit by forcing extra time and then penalties.

Though his team couldn't make the final push in the shootout, it was a commendable effort and maybe the much-needed shot in the arm that this team needs to get out of the doldrums and protect their place in the top five.


Loser: Massimiliano Allegri

Max Allegri's flirtation with the 4-4-2 needs to end, and it needs to end now.

The system has been used three times since the beginning of February, and three times Juve have been unimpressive, especially going forward. Against Napoli, the Bianconeri couldn't break down the defense and only won when Simone Zaza found the net with a massive deflection. Against Bayern Munich, Juve's attack was nonexistent for the first hour and only emerged when Allegri changed tack.

This 4-4-2 is robbing Juve of any dynamism in attack. The central midfielders are usually too far away to support the strikers once possession is gained. By the time they get to a place where they can help, the ball's already heading the other way. The wide players can either try to run the channels or play wide, but they can't do both—and there are usually enough defenders to cover them whichever route they chose.

At the start of the game, it stood to be seen whether the inclusion of Kwadwo Asamoah—a player who can man wide areas more naturally than Paul Pogba, whose instinct is to come back inside—would make the formation better, but its problems still remained. Attackers weren't supported, and Juve relied increasingly on long balls to try to attack.

Allegri got the tactics of this game all wrong, and it wasn't until Inter started knocking on the door at 2-0 that he sent Andrea Barzagli on and set the team up in a 3-5-2. That was an improvement, but even that couldn't stop the penalty for the equalizer.

Allegri came into this game knowing scoring any goal at all would force Inter to score at least five times themselves. Instead of going for that goal, he did exactly what he did against Bayern—soaked up so much pressure that in the end the team had to give. This time, his changes didn't do the job. Juve gained the momentum in the extra 30 minutes, but they weren't able to put the ball into the net.

Allegri's performance in this match was simply unacceptable on every level.


Winner: Marcelo Brozovic

Croatian midfielder Brozovic was predatory on Wednesday. He breathed life into the tie by scoring just over a quarter of an hour in. It may have been ill-gotten—Gary Medel gained the ball from Hernanes with a body slam worthy of a WWE ring—but when he was presented the opportunity, he took it with aplomb.

He did the same when he was given the opportunity to put the aggregate into a flat-footed tie from the spot. Neto guessed the right way, but the ball was simply too powerful.

It was an excellent performance from a player Inter has needed to find a groove.


Loser: Norberto Neto

Norberto Neto hasn't gotten all that much in the way of playing time this year, but as tends to be tradition at Juve, the Coppa Italia has been his competition.

He hadn't really been tested in Juve's first three games in this competition, but he made a critical error on Inter's second goal. Eder was driving down the left side, and the nature of his run really gave him only one option—he had to cross. Rather than coming out to meet the delivery, though, the Brazilian glued himself to his line, and when the cross came through to Ivan Perisic, the ball was over the line before he could turn around.

Neto had to charge down the delivery on that play. If he had missed the cross, the result would have been the same. But he certainly wasn't going to be stopping a shot from that kind of range. Coming out and dealing with the service before it got there was the best chance of preventing a goal. It was a bad decision.

He wasn't able to make up for it later either. He faced down a pair of Marcelo Brozovic penalties, both in regular time and in the shootout, and guessed right both times—and was beaten both times. He didn't make any saves in the shootout—it was the frame that bailed him out in the end.

Neto is never going to be surpassing Gianluigi Buffon any time soon, but this was the first time he's legitimately hurt the team in goal. He certainly didn't build much good will in this game.


Winner: Leonardo Bonucci

With Gianluigi Buffon resting as usual in the Coppa and Giorgio Chiellini and Claudio Marchisio both resting injured legs, Allegri handed the captain's armband to Leonardo Bonucci. He did right by it.

Bonucci played hard all night. He was one of the few Juve players who truly acquitted himself well over 120 minutes. He defended well, making two tackles and, according to WhoScored.com, six interceptions and seven clearances.

When it was time for someone to come up and take Juve's fifth and final kick, with a trip to the final on the line, it was Bonucci who sauntered up and confidently dispatched the kick, sending Carrizo the wrong way and sending Juve to their third Coppa Final in three years.

It was a leader's performance from a man who just may end up wearing that armband permanently sometime down the line.

[Socrates 8524]

INTER - JUVENTUS

3 - 0

Aggregate 3 - 3
Juventus lead 5 - 3 on penalties

Marcelo Brozović (16')
Ivan Perišić (49')
Marcelo Brozović (82'-penalty)

Coppa Italia TIM - Semi-final 2nd leg
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2016 - 8:45 PM
Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, Milan
Referee: Andrea Gervasoni

Juventus relieved after Coppa Italia
scare from Inter Milan - Allegri

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/italian-serie-a/story/2820602/juventus-relieved-after-coppa-italia-scare-from-inter-milan

Mar 3, 2016

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri admitted he let out a sigh of relief after his team prevailed in a penalty shoot-out to see off Inter Milan in the second leg of their Coppa Italia semifinal.

Allegri's team held a significant 3-0 advantage from the first leg in Turin, but a valiant fightback from Roberto Mancini's team saw the second leg go Inter's way by a final score of 3-0 following 90 minutes of regulation and extra time.

Juventus were spared an embarrassing defeat to Inter, who they had just beaten 2-0 in the Derby d'Italia on Sunday, when Leonardo Bonucci converted his penalty to seal the 5-3 shootout final.

The win puts Juventus through to the finals of the Coppa Italia where they will face AC Milan, who beat third-tier side Alessandria 6-0 on aggregate.

"It wasn't easy to reach the final, as we had such a packed fixture list. First of all I must compliment the lads for what they are doing," Allegri told Rai Sport.

"Of course tonight for 70 minutes we didn't play at all. Inter ran hard and put pressure on us, from that point on we started to move well and created some chances to avoid extra time. After that the lads did well to win on penalties and achieve our objective.

"The first goal was probably a bit of a foul, but having said that we should've dealt with it better and not handed the chance to Inter.

"The second goal was a mistaken challenge, the third a penalty on a 50 metre pass. We have to do better."

Allegri admitted he expected Inter to cause his team problems because he felt the 3-0 advantage from the first leg put his players in a position to feel overconfident and potentially lack concentration.

"This is another part of the growth process, as when you have young players and go into games that seem easy and aren't," Allegri said. "You learn to do better. Inter deserve credit and we deserve criticism.

"Inter were very intense and we didn't keep the right distances. I don't think we managed two consecutive passes in the first half and so we were struggling in possession as well as off. Clearly I didn't prepare them properly for the game.

"Do I say 'phew' after this? A huge phew! A long phew!"

[Socrates 8524]

INTER - JUVENTUS

3 - 0

Aggregate 3 - 3
Juventus lead 5 - 3 on penalties

Marcelo Brozović (16')
Ivan Perišić (49')
Marcelo Brozović (82'-penalty)

Coppa Italia TIM - Semi-final 2nd leg
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2016 - 8:45 PM
Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, Milan
Referee: Andrea Gervasoni

Juventus' Hernanes fails in audition
for Paul Pogba's midfield role

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/club/juventus/111/blog/post/2820616/juventus-hernanes-fails-to-shine-in-pogba-absence

Mar 3, 2016

Gravely underestimating the challenge, Juventus walked into the San Siro and expected an easy victory, but Roberto Mancini had different ideas. Producing a side that played with verve, physical aggression and great determination, the Nerazzurri scored three goals to force extra time and penalties. Rodrigo Palacio's miss and Juve's accuracy in a tense moment ensured a win that sent the Old Lady through to the Coppa Italia final, where AC Milan await.

Inter were forced to swallow heavy criticism after their loss to the Bianconeri on Sunday. Once again, Mancini's decision to change the formation to mirror that of his opponents opened him up to ridicule, as his side played without character, creativity or genuine intensity.

Forced to play a team he has dubbed his "life's biggest rivals" again three days later, many including Massimiliano Allegri imagined Inter would succumb under the psychological pressure and play a fearful game void of ingenuity.

Allegri opted to heavily rotate his side, aware of their 3-0 first leg advantage. Setting up in a 4-4-2 formation, Norberto Neto was in goal, and the goalkeeper committed a terrible error early on, when he opted to pass to Hernanes ahead of him -- a player closely marked by the indomitable Gary Medel. Tackled and fouled, the referee allowed play to go on, and Inter scored their first goal.

After that, Juventus barely left their own half, suffocated as they were by Inter's heavy pressing. The beauty of Nerazzurri's game lay in their tenacity and relentless desire to overwhelm Juventus, to provoke errors and disturb their usually accurate passing game. The Old Lady did not manage a single shot in the first half -- not even one off-target. She barely managed to string three passes together before she faced immense pressure to surrender the ball.

With Inter once again exploiting the mistakes committed by an unfocused Juve side early in the second half, they scored the second, and Allegri immediately changed to a 3-5-2. The team needed to keep possession, but without a creative spark in midfield to force the opponent to defend, they were fighting a losing battle. Paul Pogba arrived too late, and though he made an impact, the game went to penalties, and Juve eventually won, having expended too much mental and physical energy at a time they needed to rest.


Player ratings

Norberto Neto, 6 -- This was not the greatest performance by the substitute goalkeeper, who is yet to understand the trajectory of certain shots. A terrible decision to pass to Hernanes led to Inter's first goal, but he redeemed himself late in the game.

Stephan Lichtsteiner, 5 -- Inter had a great time going down the left as Lichtsteiner struggled to contain and offered nothing going forward.

Daniele Rugani, 5 -- A short pass allowed Inter a great chance for a second goal. He was not as disciplined as he needs to be, and he was too easily drawn out of his position, which left Bonucci exposed and overwhelmed. He gave away the penalty.

Leonardo Bonucci, 6 -- He scored the final penalty to ensure victory, but the player struggled with how often he was exposed by his teammates. He failed to keep his composure in key moments.

Alex Sandro, 6 -- He was not bad in the duels but was far too reckless. He failed to provide any offensive contribution or overlap as required.

Juan Cuadrado, 5 -- He was not too bad defensively, but he was far from great. He was very inaccurate in his passing, and his constant theatrics have earned him a reputation that means he is no longer given the benefit of the doubt, even when he deserves it.

Stefano Sturaro, 6 -- Foolish but all heart, Sturaro was yellow carded for a silly lunge he committed only as an act of revenge for what Medel did on Cuadrado. He must play with his mind and less with his heart.

Hernanes, 4 -- Terrible in possession, he was barely capable of holding the ball and played as a director. This was one of his worst performances for the club.

Kwadwo Asamoah, 5 -- Often caught in possession, his desire to make up for his errors led to even more mistakes. He has yet to rediscover his form.

Simone Zaza, 7 -- With too many touches on his first attempt, he shot too quickly on his second. He struggled early on but improved as the match progressed. Eventually, he was able to get behind the defenders and impressed with his desire to fight for every ball.

Alvaro Morata, 6 -- Good at holding play up, he toiled for a team that failed to help him produce magic. He was excellent with his penalty.


Substitutes

Andrea Barzagli, 6 -- He restored composure to the backline.

Mario Lemina, N/A -- His decision-making must improve. He failed to make an impact.

Paul Pogba, N/A -- He made an immediate impact and forced the opponent to defend. He brought attacking fluidity back to the Juve game and should have come on earlier.

[Socrates 8524]

INTER - JUVENTUS

3 - 0

Aggregate 3 - 3
Juventus lead 5 - 3 on penalties

Marcelo Brozović (16')
Ivan Perišić (49')
Marcelo Brozović (82'-penalty)

Coppa Italia TIM - Semi-final 2nd leg
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2016 - 8:45 PM
Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, Milan
Referee: Andrea Gervasoni

Barzagli: ‘Juve taught a lesson’

http://www.football-italia.net/80727/barzagli-%E2%80%98juve-taught-lesson%E2%80%99?

Mar 3, 2016

Andrea Barzagli says Juventus ‘have to re-evaluate everything’ after last night’s Inter clash, which ‘will serve as a lesson for us.’

The Bianconeri went into the Coppa Italia semi-final second leg with a commanding 3-0 lead but the Nerazzurri incredibly fought back with a 3-0 win of their own.

The Old Lady eventually triumphed on penalties, but Italy international Barzagli was concered as ‘we shouldn’t give away a game like this’.

“We have to re-evaluate everything to get back to our best,” he said to JTV.

“The important thing is the positive of reaching the final, which was one of our objectives.

“Let’s say that it was almost a night to forget, also because a team like ours, that aspires to win on all fronts, shouldn’t give away a game like this.

“In extra time it was another match, also because Inter declined having used up a lot of energy in normal time – we had two or three important chances.

“The problem was the first few minutes. We knew they would come out very strongly, we even prepared for the game well, but the goal after a few minutes influenced the match.

“Let’s give credit to Inter, but we can do better.

“I went up for my penalty with confidence. Sometimes you want a bit of luck, but we were great with the penalties.

“We’re happy to have extended our season, it was our objective at the start of the season and this match will serve as a lesson for us.”

[Socrates 8524]

INTER - JUVENTUS

3 - 0

Aggregate 3 - 3
Juventus lead 5 - 3 on penalties

Marcelo Brozović (16')
Ivan Perišić (49')
Marcelo Brozović (82'-penalty)

Coppa Italia TIM - Semi-final 2nd leg
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2016 - 8:45 PM
Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, Milan
Referee: Andrea Gervasoni

Juventus Almost Pay Penalty for
Massimiliano Allegri's Tactical Error vs. Inter

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2621416-juventus-almost-pay-penalty-for-massimiliano-allegris-tactical-error-vs-inter?

Mar 3, 2016

Heading to the second leg holding a 3-0 advantage, it seemed Juventus had one foot firmly in the Coppa Italia final, only to look on as Inter Milan quickly drew level on aggregate. In a dire display, the Bianconeri eventually triumphed 5-3 on penalties in what was an ugly performance against their bitter rivals.

Given that they had beaten the same side comfortably in the league just three days earlier, the drop-off in performance from the Turin giants came as a huge surprise, even allowing for the heavy rotation made to the starting XI by coach Massimiliano Allegri.

Indeed, the cup holders made no fewer than eight changes at the San Siro, with Gigi Buffon, Paulo Dybala and Paul Pogba among those dropping to the bench. Underused players such as Neto, Daniele Rugani and Kwadwo Asamoah took to the field instead, each contributing to what was almost an embarrassing exit from the knockout competition.

An ill-advised pass from the Brazilian goalkeeper saw the Nerazzurri take the lead, although Gary Medel clearly fouled Hernanes in the build-up to it. Asamoah—making just his third start of the campaign—looked off the pace all evening, while Rugani gave away a penalty from which Marcelo Brozovic equalised.

There may have been an air of misfortune to that incident, but captain Leonardo Bonucci was in no mood to make excuses when he spoke to RAI Sport moments after netting the decisive spot-kick (h/t Juventus.com):

We made life very difficult for ourselves. Inter had nothing to lose and threw everything at us from the first minute.

As for us, we approached the match in the wrong manner and as much as I hate to say it, this was one of the worst performances I’ve seen since joining the club. Ultimately, we rode our luck to get to penalties and luckily we put them all away.

While the 28-year-old defender may have overlooked a few displays from the dreadful 2010/11 campaign, this match certainly ranks alongside those desperate pre-Antonio Conte days, and the current boss must shoulder some responsibility for that.

Just as he had against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League, Allegri opted for what was an overly cautious 4-4-2 formation, a decision that simultaneously handed their opponents the initiative and nullified the best qualities of his own players.

OptaPaolo ✔ ‎@OptaPaolo
0 - Juventus have fired no shots in the first half for the first time this season (all comps). Distract.

Alex Sandro had less space to make his trademark bursts forward, and Juan Cuadrado also lacked freedom on the opposite flank, but both men improved after a shift in shape during the second half.

Arguably the most creative player in the side, statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com show that only Stephan Lichtsteiner (27) had fewer touches of the ball than Hernanes (30). The Brazilian had looked much-improved in a midfield three recently, but he was often overwhelmed with only Stefano Stuaro alongside him in the central area.

Meanwhile, the same source shows that the framework—and the subsequent muted attacking prowess it lent to the side—resulted in the Bianconeri managing just two shots on target and a meagre 36 percent possession over the course of 120 minutes.

It was, of course, expected that they would sit back somewhat given their advantage going into the return match, but the tactical approach removed all semblance of urgency, a rare mistake from a coach who has made very few since arriving in Turin just over 18 months ago.

Thanks to Fiorentina holding Napoli to a draw on Monday night, Juventus are now three points clear at the top of Serie A and once again in the Coppa Italia final, but Allegri must avoid repeating this tactical error if he is to help the Old Lady to a second consecutive league and cup double.

[Socrates 8524]

INTER - JUVENTUS

3 - 0

Aggregate 3 - 3
Juventus lead 5 - 3 on penalties

Marcelo Brozović (16')
Ivan Perišić (49')
Marcelo Brozović (82'-penalty)

Coppa Italia TIM - Semi-final 2nd leg
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2016 - 8:45 PM
Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, Milan
Referee: Andrea Gervasoni

Juventus survive, but only just

A relentless Inter pushed Juventus to the limit, but in the end
it was the Bianconeri celebrating. Nonetheless, Luca Cetta saw few positives.

http://www.football-italia.net/80728/juventus-survive-only-just?

Mar 3, 2016

Juventus had reason to be confident ahead of the Coppa Italia semi-final second leg. It was, after all, the second meeting between the sides in a matter of days and the Bianconeri had been dominant in the Serie A encounter. They won it 2-0, with Inter failing to test Gianluigi Buffon until the 89th minute. Not only that, Massimiliano Allegri’s men had a three-goal lead to protect. So all set for a comfortable night at the office? Not a chance.

Allegri knew what to expect. “Inter will attack us, they have nothing to lose,” he said in the pre-match Press conference. “For me, we will need to score at least once.” The tactician made the expected changes to the side, including Neto, Daniele Rugani, Kwadwo Asamoah, Hernanes and Simone Zaza. Despite the alterations they were coming up against a team low on confidence and without both starting central defenders.

What Allegri didn’t need from his team was the concession of an early goal. Juventus did it either half. A fired-up Nerazzurri outfit were handed a lifeline through Marcelo Brozovic – with Neto and Hernanes at fault – even if there was a hint of a foul. Then five minutes after the interval Ivan Perisic slid in at the back post to further reduce the deficit.

Inter received much criticism for their performance in Turin, both internal and external. Accused of lacking ‘balls’ last Sunday by director of sport Piero Ausilio, Vice-President Javier Zanetti said the second leg offered a chance to “prove what it means to wear this shirt.” They did not stop believing in a comeback, hammering Juventus from pillar to post. Meanwhile, the visitors looked sluggish. Their pre-match confidence went too far in assuming a place in Rome was already assured. The only similarity to Sunday night was the driving rain.

It was no surprise then to see Perisic win a late penalty which was converted by Brozovic. The comeback was complete. If not for Neto heroics the home side would have won it before the final whistle. It’s little wonder match-winner Leonardo Bonucci called it “the worst performance we’ve had since I’ve been at Juventus.” Quite damning from a player who is gunning for a fifth successive Scudetto in six seasons at the club.

Only in extra-time did Juve really get a foothold on proceedings. Taking time to clear their heads after Inter landed blow upon blow, there were moments for the tireless Zaza and Alvaro Morata. The Italian international was a constant menace, but lacked an end product. Second half substitute Paul Pogba used his freshness to good effect to help inject some life into the Old Lady. Morata netted in both the first leg and at the weekend, but was denied the chance to add to his tally by a fine double save from Juan Pablo Carrizo.

Juventus, last at the spot in a losing effort against Napoli in last season’s Super Cup which included four missed penalties, held their nerve. Only Rodrigo Palacio failed, giving captain for the night Bonucci the chance to seal Juve’s passage to Rome. The best of a shaky defensive bunch – Rugani, for instance, endured his worst match in the Black and White stripes – Bonucci’s finish was composed. A pity then for Juve that he will be suspended for the final. The Bianconeri advancing was the only positive they could take from the evening. As La giornalaccio rosa dello Sport summed up, Inter were enchanting but in the end Juve were singing. It was enough for Allegri to let out a long ‘phew’.

This will be Juve’s 16th appearance in the Coppa decider. It’s also the first time since 1959 and 1960 that the Old Lady has reached the Final in consecutive seasons. Giampiero Boniperti lifted the trophy on both occasions.

They’ll have the chance to equal that piece of history in May. On a night where Allegri admitted he got it wrong, Juventus won through – but only by the skin of their teeth.

[Socrates 8524]

INTER - JUVENTUS

3 - 0

Aggregate 3 - 3
Juventus lead 5 - 3 on penalties

Marcelo Brozović (16')
Ivan Perišić (49')
Marcelo Brozović (82'-penalty)

Coppa Italia TIM - Semi-final 2nd leg
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2016 - 8:45 PM
Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, Milan
Referee: Andrea Gervasoni

Tardelli: ‘Inter deserved to win’

http://www.football-italia.net/80732/tardelli-%E2%80%98inter-deserved-win%E2%80%99?

Mar 3, 2016

Former Inter and Juventus midfielder Marco Tardelli says ‘Inter deserved to go through’ in the Coppa Italia against a ‘careless’ Bianconeri.

The Nerazzurri won the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final 3-0 at San Siro last night, but were beaten on penalties with the aggregate score at 3-3.

“Overall Mancini’s team deserved to go through, they played with the desire to fight,” Tardeli told Tuttomercatoweb.

“Unfortunately for Inter and luckily for Juve, there were penalties. However that Nerazzurri team was truly surprising and if they’re like this they can finish in third place.

“I wouldn’t say it was a Juve B team because they still had Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Zaza and Morata on the pitch.

“They were maybe missing someone in midfield but a team that starts at 3-0 up can manage the advantage better. It was careless.

“I don’t think Juve will have lost any certainty, because when Barzagli and Pogba came on they were put back in order. Not to mention that they also lacked Chiellini, Marchisio and Dybala. But like I said it wasn’t a Juve B team.

“All I can say is that Mancini went for a more attacking team yesterday, he put a more technical team out compared to other times, with players like Brozovic and Ljajic who have quality.”

[Socrates 8524]

INTER - JUVENTUS

3 - 0

Aggregate 3 - 3
Juventus lead 5 - 3 on penalties

Marcelo Brozović (16')
Ivan Perišić (49')
Marcelo Brozović (82'-penalty)

Coppa Italia TIM - Semi-final 2nd leg
Wednesday, March 2nd, 2016 - 8:45 PM
Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, Milan
Referee: Andrea Gervasoni

Bonucci misses Coppa final

http://www.football-italia.net/80748/bonucci-misses-coppa-final?

Mar 3, 2016

Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci will miss the Coppa Italia final against Milan through suspension.

The centre-back picked up his second booking of the competition during last night’s 3-0 second leg defeat to Inter, with the Old Lady eventually advancing on penalties.

The Lega Serie A has now released its disciplinary report, confirming that Bonucci is suspended for the final of the competition in May.

Stadio Olimpico in Rome will host the showpiece event on May 21, with the Bianconeri looking to retain the trophy having beaten Lazio in the final last year.

[Socrates 8524]

ATALANTA - JUVENTUS

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MATCHDAY 28
Sunday, March 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM
Atleti Azzurri d'Italia Stadium, Bergamo
Referee: Paolo Valeri

Juve get injury boost

http://www.football-italia.net/80725/juve-get-injury-boost?

Mar 3, 2016
 
Juventus’ Giorgio Chiellini could reportedly return in time for Bayern, while Claudio Marchisio, Mario Mandzukic and Patrice Evra will play against Atalanta.

Tuttosport reports today that Italy international Chiellini has a chance of returning for the Champions League second leg in Germany on 16 March.

The newspaper writes that the club are cautiously optimistic after being encouraged by tests on Tuesday that ruled out serious damage.

If he sticks to the prognosis of a 10 day recovery period, he would be available at the Allianz Arena.

The report also says that Claudio Marchisio will return from his thigh injury to face Atalanta this weekend, along with Mario Mandzukic.

Patrice Evra, who has been absent recently for personal reasons, will also be back in the squad for Bergamo according to the paper.

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

[Socrates 8524]

ATALANTA - JUVENTUS

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MATCHDAY 28
Sunday, March 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM
Atleti Azzurri d'Italia Stadium, Bergamo
Referee: Paolo Valeri

Lichtsteiner: ‘Atalanta not easy’

http://www.football-italia.net/80751/lichtsteiner-%E2%80%98atalanta-not-easy%E2%80%99?

Mar 3, 2016
 
Stephan Lichtsteiner warns “it won’t be easy” for Juventus against Atalanta - “they play good football”.

The Bianconeri have a three-point lead at the top of Serie A after 16 wins in 17 games, but the Swiss international isn’t expecting a comfortable trip to Bergamo.

“It won’t be easy,” Lichtsteiner cautioned in an interview with JTV.

“Atalanta play good football, they’re aggressive and they have good players. We’re expecting a tough game.

“Our gap to Napoli is only three points, we’ve recovered well in recent months but there’s still a long way to go.”

Champions League opponents Bayern Munich lost 2-1 at home to Mainz yesterday, but Lichtsteiner doesn’t think it’s important ahead of the return leg on March 16.

“I saw the stats, they had a lot of possession of the ball and shot many times. I don’t think their defeat is significant.

“I’ll be tough for us in Munich, but we’re confident.”

Finally, the former Lazio man analysed last night’s Coppa Italia second leg with Inter, with the Old Lady advancing on penalties after a 3-0 defeat.

“We struggled,” Lichtsteiner admitted, with the Turin giants having held a 3-0 lead after the first leg.

“But it’s important for us to know that we’ve achieved qualification for the final, that’s the good news from yesterday.”

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

[Socrates 8524]

ATALANTA - JUVENTUS

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MATCHDAY 28
Sunday, March 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM
Atleti Azzurri d'Italia Stadium, Bergamo
Referee: Paolo Valeri

Juventus embarrassed by Inter
and now must focus on Atalanta

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/club/juventus/111/blog/post/2821684/juventus-embarrassed-by-inter-and-now-must-focus-on-atalanta

Mar 4, 2016

It's been a few days yet embarrassment still haunts fans of Juventus. Devoid of character, intensity and composure, Massimiliano Allegri's men limped into the Coppa Italia final in midweek following an unconvincing 5-3 win over Inter Milan on penalties.

Allegri showed great humility and class when he took the blame for Juve's hideous display after the match and said: "Clearly I didn't prepare them properly for the game."

The coach certainly made mistakes, both tactically and mentally, however he should not be made fully responsible for the performance.

The staring XI deployed ahead of the 3-0 defeat after 120 minutes may have been young but that doesn't excuse a performance lacking in maturity or strength. Instead of focusing on players like Mario Lemina -- who, despite making several wrong choices on the pitch, can be forgiven as he's not played since October -- players such as Simone Zaza and Juan Cuadrado must develop and progress to ensure they have a part in Juve's future.

Both players are essential but can be too frustrating to merit a consistent run of games. The Colombian, for all his dribbling ability, pace and eagerness, must learn how to cut out the theatrics and focus on his football. Too often he can be found rolling around on the floor and demanding free kicks. While he was treated abhorrently by Ivan Perisic on Wednesday night and referee Andrea Gervasoni was wrong not to send off the Inter player, Cuadrado must realise he's developing a bad reputation.

Let's be honest, this is Italy -- a country that encourages cunning behaviour on the pitch -- and while Cuadrado can be good at drawing fouls in dangerous areas, he must learn the art of subtlety. Perhaps if he stayed on his feet rather than tumble down at the slightest touch, he would have provided Juventus with many more attacking opportunities.

Zaza, meanwhile, must tone down the reckless side to his game. Earning yellow cards for needless challenges, he can be foolish in his desire to prove himself. He has to understand how to pick his battles and maintain composure at all times or he risks making it hard for his team. A red card in the 1-0 win against Genoa on Feb. 3 halted his opportunity for continuity.

Playing at Juventus requires mental as well as football intelligence. Players must always perform in the interests of the team and that means playing with composure, avoiding foolish errors and understanding when to show heart and when to be cunning.

As for Paul Pogba, his arrival on the pitch made all the difference as his creative play and desire to force the opponent into defending changed the face of the game.

However, in the words of Allegri: "Pogba has shown some growth, but he still has to improve his play."

Indeed he must. While onlookers can always expect a moment of beauty from the Frenchman, he has yet to find balance to his game; the knowledge to know when to rely on his instincts and when to play with a little more thought. At 23, Pogba is no longer considered young considering how football has evolved and while he is slowly developing and capable of sensational movements, it's hard to believe he can be worth €100 million when he is often guilty of making the wrong decision on the pitch.

Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Barzagli and Claudio Marchisio will not be around forever and the youngsters on the pitch must learn how to act if they are to be counted on for the future. The match against Inter was embarrassing but perhaps a reminder that in football, there is no such thing as an easy game. Teams must always play with intensity, desire and intelligence to maintain a winning streak.

Humbled on Wednesday night, Juve will learn from the experience and hopefully ensure a better performance against Atalanta on Sunday afternoon.

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

[Socrates 8524]

ATALANTA - JUVENTUS

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MATCHDAY 28
Sunday, March 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM
Atleti Azzurri d'Italia Stadium, Bergamo
Referee: Paolo Valeri

THE ROAD TO DOMESTIC GLORY…

http://www.juvefc.com/the-road-to-domestic-glory/

Mar 4, 2016

2015/2016 Scudetto Showdown

With 11 games left to play, the Scudetto race is fast approaching its conclusion. It remains presently too early to call an end to the story, but let us take a detailed look at how we stack up against the other competitors for silverware before focusing on what hurdles await us and our foes.

1st JUVENTUS 61 pts
2nd NAPOLI 58 pts
3rd ROMA 53 pts
4th FIORENTINA 53 pts
5th INTER 48 pts
6th MILAN 47 pts
7th SASSUOLO 41 pts
8th LAZIO 37 pts
9th BOLOGNA 35 pts
10th CHIEVO 34 pts

Currently we are top of the pack, with a small gap created in the last 2 games (drawing against Bologna and beating Inter), thanks to Napoli dropping the ball twice in 2 draws against Milan and Fiorentina.

Napoli are obviously our main opponent for the Scudetto, thus I will focus on Juventus and Napoli. We should keep in mind not to disregard Roma and Fiorentina though; they can still spring a surprise on all of us.

Now, with the end of the race coming in sight, the trophy nearly within grasp, let’s take a look at the schedule. Who do We and Napoli face in the remaining 11 games? ( A= away game, H= home game)


JUVENTUS schedule

Atalanta (A), Sassuolo (H ), Torino (A), Empoli (H ), Milan (A), Palermo (H ), Lazio (H ), Fiorentina (A), Carpi (H ), Verona (A) and Sampdoria (H )


NAPOLI schedule

Chievo (H ), Palermo (A), Genoa (H ), Udinese (A), Verona (H ), Inter (A), Bologna (H ), Roma (A), Atalanta (H ), Torino (A) and Frosinone (H )


When we compare these schedules, we notice some juicy games are yet to come.

Juventus have to face four top 10 teams in Sassuolo, Milan, Lazio and Fiorentina
Napoli also have four top 10 teams left to face in Chievo, Inter, Bologna and Roma
Juventus will face Milan and Fiorentina at their respective home grounds
Napoli also face 2 difficult away games against Inter and Roma
On paper, the strongest opponent left for Juve is Fiorentina, who currently share the 3rd spot with Roma.
For Napoli yet again, the same is true. Their strongest opponent in the table is Roma, locked in a fight for 3rd spot with Fiorentina
We both face a Milan based team – we will meet Milan in San Siro and Napoli will face Inter in the San Siro
Both Juventus and Napoli have 6 home games and 5 away games to play
Both Juventus and Napoli have to play against Torino, Atalanta and Verona
With this many similarities, who has the “easier” schedule?

There is no clear “easier” schedule here, as both teams have tricky fixtures left to deal with. Maybe Juventus have a slightly more difficult schedule, as they also have Lazio and Sassuolo left to confront from our top 10 clashes, whereas Napoli have Chievo (who are dead even in 10th spot with Empoli; another team which we still need to face) and Bologna.


First round results

How did we do when we faced these teams last time? I put on my detective hat, narrowed my eyes and focused upon our recent history.

Juventus have a nice record going into this schedule: We won every single game, barring a humiliating loss to Sassuolo (1-0). Which makes the record 10 wins and a loss. We beat Milan 1-0, Lazio 0-2, Fiorentina 3-1. There were some shaky victories too, with the 2-3 win against Carpi standing out the most in that aspect.

Napoli’s record is marginally worse. They have 8 wins out of 11, 2 draws against Roma and Bologna and a defeat to Bologna. They defeated Chievo 0-1 and Inter 2-1. They demolished Frosinone 1-5. Their 3-2 defeat to Bologna came as a shock, but we also faced a tough time at the Dall’Ara.

If we would assume we will repeat these results, Juve would gain 30 more points, Napoli would gain 26 points. That would make us champions and possibly have Napoli drop in the rankings, depending on the results for Roma and Fiorentina.

Of course it is not that easy. Every game is different and the main thing to remember is this: there are still 33 points left to fight for, absolutely nothing has been decided yet.


Dark horse

I would also like to point at another team that recently has enjoyed a bit of a Renaissance. I’m being careful with my words here, it is perhaps bold to speak of Renaissance. I’m talking about our opponents in the Coppa final, AC Milan. Recent results suggest they are beginning to click together now. Who knows how strong they will be when we face them in week 32?

I expect 2 very difficult games against them (Serie A and Coppa) as they are battling to achieve qualification for Europe next season. They can still find this in the league standings, but I can’t deny that the Coppa Italia trophy looks even juicier to them now. Besides winning the cup, it would also guarantee them a spot in Europe. After our horrendous show against Inter, Milan will almost certainly sniff an opportunity for an upset. Expect a hard game against them!


Other commitments

Juventus have battles left to fight beyond the borders of Serie A football. It’s a major hurdle to overcome and they might not make it, but there is a chance that Juventus will have Champions League football to play after the Bayern clash. Which will be a major focus and subsequent drain of energy.

Napoli have the ‘luxury’ of not playing in Europe anymore, after their defeat to Villareal. Lazio is the only team that still have the Europa League to play for. Juventus and especially Roma have an uphill battle to face in the Champions League and we have already waved goodbye to Napoli and Fiorentina.

Concerning the Serie A race, this is an advantage for Napoli and Fiorentina, if the other teams compete in Europe, they will have to spend lots of energy there, which will leave a strain on their domestic campaign. But then again, Roma need a miracle to beat Real Madrid. Juventus also need a huge performance in order to overcome Bayern.

It is realistic to assume that Lazio will be the sole representative in Europe after the round of 16 reaches its conclusion.

Besides that, there is also still a Coppa Italia final to play for, which will be duked out by Juventus and AC Milan. It is only one game, but a tough one at that.


Trivia:

Napoli was crowned Winter champions this season. Looking at Serie A history, in close to 70% of cases, the Winter champion was also crowned Scudetto winner
Napoli took the most points at home from all teams
Juventus took the most points in away games from all teams
Napoli boasts the best attack in Serie A, with the highest amount of goals scored
Juventus boasts the best defense, with the least goals conceded
The goal difference between Juventus and Napoli is dead even


WHY JUVENTUS WILL WIN THE 2015/2016 SCUDETTO

Juventus are top of the table, with 3 points more than 2nd placed Napoli. There are no direct encounters left for these teams, so Juventus have their destiny in their own hands. The Scudetto is theirs to lose. They have also been crowned champions for 4 seasons straight, so if any team knows how to win in Serie A right now, it is Juventus.

Despite a bad start and numerous amounts of injuries to the team, they are top of the pack. They have the most quality both in their starting eleven and on the bench. There is simply no other team as complete as Juventus. Winning a 5th consecutive Scudetto would be another major record for Juventus. That is why Juventus will win the Scudetto.


WHY NAPOLI WILL WIN THE SCUDETTO

Napoli has Serie A topscorer Gonzalo Higuain in their ranks and boast the finest attack in Italy. With Higuain firing on all cilinders, Napoli have been close to unbeatable. Visiting the San Paolo is one of the most daunting trips to make for all other teams.

Besides that, Napoli have never been more behind the team since when a certain Diego led their charge. For the first time in decades, the Scudetto is a realistic objective. Comparisons between Higuain and that other Argentinean prodigy, Maradona, have been flying around for a long time. This is their chance to make it happen. They are only 3 points behind Juventus, with 33 points still left to fight for.

What’s more, they have more than just a prolific Higuain. Lorenzo Insigne is enjoying his best ever season. Next they have Callejon to complete their attack and they have added valuable quality elsewhere too: Koulibaly is performing superbly in the heart of the defense, they have added the ever industrious Allan to their midfield ranks, an experienced goalie with Pepe Reina and in short, they have a very strong starting eleven.

And nothing else left to play for.. No Coppa commitments, no European campaign to conserve energy for. They can and they will go all out for the win in each and every single game to come. They will not give up until the very end.

1st JUVENTUS
2nd NAPOLI
3rd ROMA
4th FIORENTINA
5th MILAN
6th SASSUOLO
7th INTER

 

What I hope the table will look like at the end of the season:

Juventus and Napoli deserve to be guaranteed of a Champions League spot. I picked Roma over Fiorentina for the third spot, because they have displayed that little bit more quality and experience to have an impact in the CL. Fiorentina and Milan in the Europa League could both go far, Sassuolo would be nice to see there, but I expect they will be weakened after the upcoming summer transfer period. So that is why I opted for Milan, who will most likely grow in strength instead.

 

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

[Socrates 8524]

ATALANTA - JUVENTUS

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MATCHDAY 28
Sunday, March 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM
Atleti Azzurri d'Italia Stadium, Bergamo
Referee: Paolo Valeri

Cuadrado: ‘Juventus, don’t give up’

http://www.football-italia.net/80776/cuadrado-%E2%80%98juventus-don%E2%80%99t-give-up%E2%80%99?

Mar 4, 2016

Winger Juan Cuadrado declares Juventus’ aim is to “always hold on to first place” in Serie A.

The Bianconeri are three points clear of Napoli at the top of the table, and the Colombian urges his teammates to press home their advantage.

“They will be difficult games [until the end of the season],” Cuadrado predicted in an interview with Sky.

“We’ll have to take them one-by-one, stay calm and always look to get the result if we want to always hold on to first place.

“That’s our objective, to stay there until the end. It would be nice to extend our lead over our adversaries.

“We know that there are other teams near us, and they’ll fight to stay in the battle for the Scudetto. We mustn’t give up, and continue with grit and always try to win.

“We must always go onto the field with the right mental attitude, and we have to work because we know the matches are difficult and anything can happen.

“We have to approach every game like a final, always giving our all.”

The Old Lady threw away a 3-0 lead in their Coppa Italia semi-final against Inter, eventually advancing on penalties after a three-goal reverse in the second leg at San Siro, will that serve as a lesson?

“Losing isn’t nice, because you didn’t earn anything, but now we’ve reached our objective. I think it will also help us battle to the end in all our matches.”

 

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

[Socrates 8524]

ATALANTA - JUVENTUS

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MATCHDAY 28
Sunday, March 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM
Atleti Azzurri d'Italia Stadium, Bergamo
Referee: Paolo Valeri

Atalanta - Juventus MATCH PREVIEW

Struggling Atalanta will hope to arrest their own poor form as they welcome
a battle-weary Juventus to Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia this Sunday.

http://www.football-italia.net/SerieA/match/preview/70094

Mar 4, 2016

La Dea currently sit in 13th-place, seven points away from the drop zone. However, Edy Reja’s side have picked up just three points out of their last five matches and will be coming into this game without a win in 2016. In fact, the last time Sunday’s hosts picked up all three points from a league fixture was back on 6th December, when they beat Palermo 3-0, and at that juncture, they were sitting in a solid seventh place.

Fans may hope that their floundering team will be able to take advantage of a battered and bruised Juventus side, who will be surely exhausted after their travails in Coppa Italia action mid-week. The Bianconeri shockingly had to secure their spot in this season’s finals after throwing away a 3-0 first-leg advantage against Inter, but expect Massimiliano Allegri’s men to re-channel their frustrations from this past Wednesday into getting back on track against an Atalanta side devoid of confidence.

Furthermore, the starting XI that took to the pitch against the Nerazzurri a few days ago will obviously be modified, from the man between the posts to the midfield to the players tasked up front with leading the line. With Napoli taking on Chievo a day before this game, La Vecchia Signora will be keen on staying ahead of the Partenopei – especially if Maurizio Sarri’s side, as expected, pick up a vital win against the Flying Donkeys on Saturday.

Given that Juventus have a make-or-break clash against Bayern Munich coming up on the horizon, Allegri will expect his troops to show that their poor performance against Inter was just as a one-off incident by earning maximum points both against Atalanta and then Sassuolo prior to their trip to the Allianz Arena in less than two weeks’ time.


Keep an eye on: Mario Mandzukic (Juventus) — The Croatian international has struggled for fitness and form due to a campaign interrupted by injuries. However as evidenced by his excellent performance in the Champions League versus ex-side Bayern, the experienced attacker can certainly play an impact. Given that he will likely start in this game – having missed out on the recent Coppa Italia tie – Mandzukic will be eager to make his presence felt on the pitch as he seeks his first goal since scoring a brace in the team’s last game of 2015.


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

Last season: Atalanta 0-3 Juventus

Stat fact: Making that advantage count – Juventus have been winning both at half-time and at full time in six out of their last eight road matches against Atalanta in all competitions. Will they make it seven in nine on Sunday?


Atalanta (probable)

Sportiello; Masiello, Paletta, Toloi, Dramé; Cigarini, De Roon, Kurtic; Diamanti, Borriello, D'Alessandro

Suspended: None


Juventus (probable)

Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Rugani; Lichtsteiner, Khedira, Marchisio, Pogba, Alex Sandro; Mandzukic, Dybala

Suspended: None

 

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

[Socrates 8524]

ATALANTA - JUVENTUS

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MATCHDAY 28
Sunday, March 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM
Atleti Azzurri d'Italia Stadium, Bergamo
Referee: Paolo Valeri

Atalanta V Juventus – Preview: Bianconeri
Looking To Consolidate Scudetto Lead

http://forzaitalianfootball.com/2016/03/atalanta-v-juventus-preview-bianconeri-looking-to-consolidate-scudetto-lead/?

Mar 5, 2016

Juventus travel to the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia on Sunday afternoon to face an Atalanta side in desperate need of a victory.

La Dea have yet to record a single win since the turn of the year and after their impressive start to campaign, and where there was once talk of a possible European push, there is now a growing fear that Edy Reja’s outfit could be dragged into a relegation battle.

The Bergamo club currently reside ten points outside the drop zone and have struggled to cope with the winter departures of German Denis and Maxi Moralez.

Alessandro Diamanti has impressed since his switch from Watford, however, and his side were unfortunate not to take all three points from their away clash with Carpi last weekend.

Jasmin Kurtic broke the deadlock shortly after the interval but Reja was left seething when the referee awarded the Biancorossi a spot-kick for what appeared to be an innocuous challenge.

Juventus, meanwhile, have consolidated their position at the summit of the Serie A table after they edged the showdown with Napoli last month.

The Partenopei have taken only two points from a possible six since their defeat at the Juventus Stadium and the Old Lady moved three points clear at the top with a 2-0 victory over Inter in the Derby d’Italia on Sunday evening.

The Bianconeri’s 15-match winning streak was halted with a goalless draw against Bologna a fortnight ago but Massimiliano Allegri’s side remain unbeaten since October 28 when a Nicola Sansone free-kick for Sassuolo compounded Juve’s early-season misery.

That malaise seems like a distant memory after Juve reached consecutive Coppa Italia finals for the first time since 1960 with a semi-final success over Inter in midweek.

The Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia has proven a happy hunting ground for the Old Lady in recent years having collected maximum points in Bergamo since Atalanta’s return to the top-flight.

Alejandro Gomez is a doubt ahead of the clash alongside Rafael Toloi for the hosts.

Juventus, in the meantime, will be without midfield fulcrum Claudio Marchisio, Martin Caceres and Kwado Asamoah. Giorgio Chiellini is also expected to miss out after limping off in midweek.


Form Guide: Atalanta (L-D-D-L-D) Juventus (W-D-D-W-L)


Expected Starting XIs

Atalanta
Sportiello; Bellini, Masiello, Paletta, Drame; Cigarini, De Roon, Kurtic; Diamanti, Borriello, D’Alessandro.
 

Juventus
Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Rugani; Lichtsteiner, Pogba, Hernanes, Khedira, Alex Sandro; Mandzukic, Dybala.

 

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

[Socrates 8524]

ATALANTA - JUVENTUS

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MATCHDAY 28
Sunday, March 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM
Atleti Azzurri d'Italia Stadium, Bergamo
Referee: Paolo Valeri

ATALANTA V JUVENTUS MATCH PREVIEW

http://www.juvefc.com/atalanta-vs-juventus-match-preview-and-scouting/?

Mar 5, 2016
 

Juventus

Even though they are on top of the Serie A table and have reached the Coppa Italia final, it is time for Juventus to bounce back. The midweek game was simply terrible and inexcusable: The Bianconeri should never concede three goals, let alone against Inter. It is understandable that the players might underestimate the match, considering the result of the first leg and the fact that they had just beaten Inter comfortably again, but that is when the coaching staff has to chime in and keep them focused and motivated. Anything can happen if that does not occur and Juventus were lucky to squeak by in the penalty shootout. If the opponents are hungrier, you have no shot. Hopefully, this consequence free lesson will be treasured.

The midweek game also highlighted another fact in my opinion. It is easy to fantasize here or on Twitter about tactical changes, about how maybe it is time to move on from 3-5-2, how well Juventus might look with a pure trequartista or with a trident with two real wingers. The reality is that it takes a lot of work to create a different scheme that functions properly, to build the much needed mechanisms and chemistry and for players to get used to that. You can not just change it overnight: basically anytime the squad has moved away from 3-5-2 or other patched formations that included three centre-backs, it has struggled.

The problem resurfaces every time one of the BBC is injured, like this weekend, as it appears Giorgio Chiellini will have to sit out to nurse his sore calf. Daniele Rugani did not have a good game against Inter and made a crucial mistake, but I don’t think there is a real alternative, other than to just let him play and mature. As for 4-3-1-2, Roberto Pereyra is too far behind from a conditioning standpoint to be effective and Hernanes has been too up and down. Wednesday’s 4-4-2 did not work at all.

The good news is that Claudio Marchisio should be back, unless he is too busy bashing TV analysts on Twitter. He will play in the midfield alongside Sami Khedira and Paul Pogba. There is a little more uncertainty about the flanks: I do not think this game requires a full-defensive mode, meaning Stephen Lichsteiner and Patrice Evra, so one between Juan Cuadrado and Alex Sandro will feature. Evra rested during the week, so my educated guess is that Cuadrado and Evra will be the couple in this one.

The starting attacking duo of Mario Mandzukic-Paulo Dybala will return and try to feast on a struggling team. The Croatian striker has yet to score in 2016, mostly due to injuries, so it would be nice for him to break the drought, though his contributions are obviously much appreciated, even when he does not find the bottom of the net.


Probable lineup 3-5-2

Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Rugani; Cuadrado, Khedira, Marchisio, Pogba, Evra; Mandzukic, Dybala.


Injuries:

Chiellini (calf), Caceres (Achilles).

Suspensions:

None.


 

  Atalanta

Atalanta have not won in the last 12 matches and they are plummeting in the standings. They had a good enough start and they have been able to pick up some draws here and there so they are not (yet) in the most dangerous part of the table, but winning some games would certainly be nice. The last time they conquered three points was against Palermo in early December.

Why such a long skid? Atalanta is not a rich club and since they got off to an awfully good start, they cashed in early on some of their talents and they sort of anticipated the summer window. They sold Alberto Grassi and Maxi Moralez and they let go of their long-time standard-bearer, German Denis. Obviously, this had some repercussions on the quality of the team, especially because they have acquired some foreign youngsters that need time to adjust to Serie A. They thought they could afford such a move and, despite the long streak of disappointing results, their assessment was probably correct, since they still have a 7-point lead over Frosinone, but there are also four teams in between. They have still a lot of leeway and the relegation battle is such a turtle race this year.

Their main threat Alejandro Gomez is out with a cracked rib, so that’s a lucky break for Juventus. The veteran coach Edy Reja can pick between two systems. He can either replace Papu with Marco D’Alessandro, who is pacey but a little botcher, therefore maintaining the 4-3-3 they have used all year long. Or he can switch to a much more defensive 3-5-2, coupling a pure centre-forward with Alessandro Diamanti, who came in to replace Moralez but has looked way out of rhythm so far. Mauricio Pinilla has a bruised calf and he should miss the game, therefore Marco Borriello will step in.

The midfield will be formed by Luca Cigarini, Marten De Roon, one of the cleverest acquisitions of the past summer and the next in line to move to top club, and Jasmin Kurtic. Cigarini has been dealing with a nagging injury but should be ready to go, otherwise the winter acquisition Remo Freuler will take his place. There are plenty of doubts about the defence. Gabriel Paletta and Rafael Toloi have recovered after missing some games in the last month and in theory that is their best couple, but the coach likes Andrea Masiello so much. Masiello could also slide on the flank in case they opt for a four-man defence, where Andrea Conti has been playing well as of late. They are better with 4-3-3 but the more defensive option is always on the table when Juventus comes to town.

Their style of football is pretty old-fashioned, just like their coach: gritty defence, slow pace, physicality in the midfield and lot of long balls and crosses. Juventus have swept the last eight games at Atleti Azzurri d’Italia.


Probable lineup 4-3-3

Sportiello; Conti, Masiello, Paletta, Drame; Cigarini, De Roon, Kurtic; Diamanti, Borriello, D’Alessandro.


Injuries:

Gomez (ribs), Carmona (hip).

Suspensions:

None.

 

Formation

 

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

[Socrates 8524]

ATALANTA - JUVENTUS

-

 
 

MATCHDAY 28
Sunday, March 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM
Atleti Azzurri d'Italia Stadium, Bergamo
Referee: Paolo Valeri

Sturaro out, Marchisio in

http://www.football-italia.net/80819/sturaro-out-marchisio?

Mar 5, 2016
 
Stefano Sturaro and Giorgio Chiellini are out of the Juventus visit to Atalanta, but Claudio Marchisio returns.

It kicks off on Sunday at 15.00 CET - 14.00 GMT.

“Sturaro has a problem with his big toe which means he is unable to put on a football boot at the moment,” explained Coach Max Allegri in his Press conference.

Chiellini limped off during Wednesday’s 3-0 Coppa Italia defeat to Inter, while Martin Caceres is out for the rest of the season.


Juventus squad for Atalanta

Buffon, Khedira, Zaza, Marchisio, Morata, Pogba, Hernanes, Alex Sandro, Barzagli, Cuadrado, Mandzukic, Lemina, Bonucci, Padoin, Dybala, Asamoah, Rugani, Neto, Lichtsteiner, Evra, Rubinho, Pereyra

 

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

[Socrates 8524]

ATALANTA - JUVENTUS

-

 
 

MATCHDAY 28
Sunday, March 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM
Atleti Azzurri d'Italia Stadium, Bergamo
Referee: Paolo Valeri

Allegri: 'Healthy Juve defeat'

http://www.football-italia.net/80820/allegri-healthy-juve-defeat?

Mar 5, 2016
 
A croaky Max Allegri said Juve's Coppa Italia defeat to Inter was “healthy and painless” ahead of a trip to Atalanta.

It kicks off on Sunday at 15.00 CET - 14.00 GMT.

The Bianconeri were beaten 3-0 at San Siro in the semi-final on Wednesday evening, wiping out their first leg advantage, but eventually went through on penalties.

“Let’s say it was a healthy defeat in psychological terms, because we were coming off 21 games without defeat, and it was also painless because we qualified for the Final,” said the Juventus Coach in a Press conference.

He croaked because he was losing his voice and warned he was “running low on batteries,” so the talk was cut short.

“Tomorrow will be different and very complicated. Atalanta do very well at home, they are without a win in 12 rounds so will be very determined, but we only have one result at our disposal.

“Claudio Marchisio is fit and ready to play. Giorgio Chiellini is progressing well, we’ll see if he’ll be available against Sassuolo next week, but it’ll be tough.”

Roma are charging up the table and went three points clear in third place after their 4-1 victory over Fiorentina, so should Juventus be worried about them as well as Napoli?

“The win we had against Roma was fundamental, as it allows us to be five points clear of them with a game in hand.

“I am not remotely surprised by this run, as they always had the quality to achieve this remarkable streak. They are still contenders for the Scudetto, as mathematically they can reach 86 points in the head-to-head with Napoli, so in theory the Scudetto can be won on 87 points.

“Tomorrow we need to get another win and to win the title a certain tally of points. As the weekends go by, that cut-off of 87 points could get lower.

“It won’t be easy and we must either maintain this three-point gap or even increase it over the upcoming mini-tournament of 11 rounds.

“All we have to focus on right now is winning, as that will guarantee we are at least three points clear of Napoli.”

With Chiellini injured, Allegri was asked if he’d return to three at the back or four, seeing Daniele Rugani’s struggles against Inter midweek.

“I haven’t decided yet. With regards to Rugani, he had a good first half, but everyone played below par that evening. I think the expectations were over the top for a 22-year-old who had four of the best defenders in Europe ahead of him in the pecking order.

“He had one performance that was not up to his standards, much like his teammates, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be sacrificed or dropped. Rugani will become an important player at Juventus.

“We have four important strikers, so far all four of them have done very well and will bring us the goals that can win the Scudetto. Roberto Pereyra was not rested against Inter, I just needed to make different changes for the needs of that particular match.”

Allegri was also asked about his future, as after Chelsea links he was now being associated with the Real Madrid job. Does he feel underappreciated in Italy?

“I never felt underappreciated. I do my work, I am at a big club and have a contract with Juventus for another year.

“First you wanted me to learn English, then Spanish… I wasn’t very good at school, so I can’t learn two new languages in the space of two months. Chinese? That’d take even longer!”

 

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

[Socrates 8524]

ATALANTA - JUVENTUS

-

 
 

MATCHDAY 28
Sunday, March 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM
Atleti Azzurri d'Italia Stadium, Bergamo
Referee: Paolo Valeri

Atalanta vs. Juventus: Team News, Predicted Lineups

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2621517-atalanta-vs-juventus-team-news-predicted-lineups-live-stream-tv-info?

Mar 5, 2016
 
For the third time in as many matches, Sunday will see Juventus taking on a team clad in blue and black stripes as they return to Serie A action to face Atalanta at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia.

Before doing so, coach Massimiliano Allegri’s men must recover from their arduous Coppa Italia semi-final with Inter, a tie that somehow went to extra time and penalties despite the Bianconeri holding a 3-0 advantage from the first leg.

Hopefully the Juve boss will learn from his tactical mistakes in that clash—a matter discussed at length in this previous post—as a number of regulars return to the starting XI. Indeed, that aforementioned cushion allowed the likes of Gigi Buffon, Sami Khedira and Paulo Dybala to all be rested, but the trio are almost certain to start against Atalanta.

While delighted to reach the final, Andrea Barzagli hopes their struggles act as a wake-up call in forthcoming matches, as he told JTV. “We’re delighted to have progressed,” he said, per the club’s official website, “but let’s hope we learn from our performance tonight and use it as inspiration for the rest of the campaign.”

OptaPaolo ✔ ‎@OptaPaolo
2 - @juventusfc have reached 2 consecutive Coppa Italia Final for the first time since 1958/59 and 1959/60. History.

Their bid to retain the league title for a fifth-successive season was given a further boost earlier in the week, after Fiorentina held closest rivals Napoli to a draw and helped to extend Juve’s lead at the top of the table to three points.

For their part, Atalanta will head into this encounter having not tasted victory since their December 6 win over Palermo, and with losses in each of their last six home games against Juventus. The Old Lady has outscored them by 18 goals to four in those clashes, a record she will undoubtedly hope to continue.

 

Probable Formations

Atalanta: (4-3-3)

 

Marco Sportiello; Gianpaolo Bellini, Andrea Masiello, Gabriel Paletta, Boukary Drame; Luca Cigarini, Marten De Roon, Jasmin Kurtic; Alessandro Diamanti, Mauricio Panilla, Marco D’ Alessandro

Unavailable: Carlos Carmona, Alejandro Gomez, Rafael Toloi, Cristian Raimondi (all injured)



Juventus (3-5-2)

 

Gigi Buffon; Daniele Rugani, Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli; Stephan Lichtsteiner, Sami Khedira, Claudio Marchisio, Paul Pogba, Alex Sandro; Mario Mandzukic, Paulo Dybala

Unavailable: Martin Caceres and Giorgio Chiellini (both injured)



Player to Watch

If Juventus have one man to thank for their two victories in the last seven days, it is undoubtedly Leonardo Bonucci to whom they should turn. The defender not only broke the deadlock in their Serie A clash with Inter, but he then also netted the winning penalty in the Coppa Italia clash with his former club.

While such attacking impetus is not usually his forte, the 28-year-old took both strikes superbly and only added to his increasingly high profile. Following his performance against Bayern Munich, Pep Guardiola called Bonucci “one of my all-time favourite players” at his post-match press conference, and it is easy to see why.

According to statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, the Viterbo-native has averaged 0.9 tackles, 2.6 interceptions and 4.2 clearances per game this season, also completing an impressive 88.2 per cent of his 64.2 pass attempts per outing.

Sadly, a yellow card on Wednesday means Bonucci will now miss the cup final against Milan in May, but he will almost certainly look to control proceedings at the back for the Bianconeri when the match with Atalanta gets underway.


Key Battle

One of the few players to perform well in both those recent matches against Inter was full-back Alex Sandro. The Brazilian was diligent in defence and contributed to the attack as he has all season, slowly establishing himself as a valuable addition the Juventus squad following his summer move from Porto.

In doing so, he has also given Allegri much food for thought, providing a viable alternative to Patrice Evra on the left flank while the Frenchman continues to turn in consistently excellent displays.


OptaPaolo ✔ ‎@OptaPaolo
33 - Alex Sandro has created 33 goalscoring chances, more than any other defender in Serie A this season. Train.

It is a fine problem for the Juve boss to have, a level of depth enjoyed by few of his peers, and Sandro’s impact has been felt in a number of key matches. Weighing in with two goals and four assists, he created match-winning strikes against Torino, Milan and Manchester City earlier in the campaign.

On Sunday he will go head-to-head with Alessandro Diamanti, a player who has yet to score since returning on loan from Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande back in January. Having also struggled to break into the team at Watford earlier in the season, the 32-year-old will need to be at his best to beat Sandro here.


Odds (via Odds Shark)

Away win: 25-52

Home win: 6-1

Draw: 16-5

 

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

[Socrates 8524]

ATALANTA - JUVENTUS

-

 
 

MATCHDAY 28
Sunday, March 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM
Atleti Azzurri d'Italia Stadium, Bergamo
Referee: Paolo Valeri

Reja: 'A dream to beat Juve'

http://www.football-italia.net/80832/reja-dream-beat-juve?

Mar 5, 2016
 
Edy Reja said Atalanta defeating leaders Juventus tomorrow “would be a dream. We mustn’t think negatively.”

It kicks off on Sunday at 15.00 CET - 14.00 GMT.

“We are facing a very strong team indeed, but the most negative thing would be to worry before anything has even happened,” said the Coach in a Press conference.

“Winning would be a dream and only the fear of not making it come true can see it evaporate. Therefore we need the right attitude.

“We want to play this game with our style and aggression, because if you just try to defend against Juve, you will concede sooner or later.

“We need to score against them and cause their defence problems.”

Inter showed it can be done in Wednesday’s 3-0 Coppa Italia win, although Juve did eventually go through to the Final on penalties, 3-3 on aggregate.

“There will be many changes from that line-up, so I expect fresh legs,” added Reja.

“I absolutely don’t believed Juventus will have a drop in concentration levels, especially as they are accustomed to being top of the table and the sides behind them are keeping up the pressure.”

Atalanta are without a victory yet in 2016 and miss injured Mauricio Pinilla, Alejandro Gomez and Carlos Carmona.


Atalanta squad for Juventus

Bassi, Bellini, Borriello, Brivio, Cherubin, Cigarini, Conti, D'Alessandro, De Roon, Diamanti, Dramè, Freuler, Gagliardini, Gakpé, Kurtic, Masiello, Migliaccio, Monachello, Paletta, Raimondi, Sportiello, Stendardo, Toloi, Turrin

 

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

[Socrates 8524]

ATALANTA - JUVENTUS

-

 
 

MATCHDAY 28
Sunday, March 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM
Atleti Azzurri d'Italia Stadium, Bergamo
Referee: Paolo Valeri

Atalanta v Juventus: Cuadrado urges
leaders to maintain intensity

The Colombian midfielder feels the Serie A leaders must maintain
their intensity in order to the tighten the their grip on the summit.

http://www.goal.com/en/match/atalanta-vs-juventus/2120650/preview

Mar 5, 2016
 
Juan Cuadrado has urged Juventus to maintain their intensity in order to make Serie A top spot their own ahead of Sunday's visit to Atalanta.

Juve survived a thrilling second-leg comeback from Inter in the Coppa Italia semi-final on Wednesday to clinch a place in the final. Massimiliano Allegri's men were beaten 3-0 on the night after winning the first leg by the same scoreline but prevailed on penalties at San Siro.

With a place in the Coppa showpiece secured, focus now shifts to the pursuit of a fifth consecutive Serie A title.

The Turin club are three points clear at the top having overhauled Napoli, while the winner of Friday's meeting between Roma and Fiorentina can move within five points of Juve.

Juve should be confident of maintaining their advantage at the top, having not lost to Atalanta in Serie A since February 2001.

Cuadrado told Juve's website: "Inter played very well on Wednesday night and capitalised on one of our weaker performances of the season so far.

"All that matters now is that we have a Coppa Italia final to look forward to and that will keep us motivated until the end of the campaign.

"The key now is to tackle each game with the right mindset and make sure we are just as focused from one week to the next.

"We want to make top spot our own but doing so certainly won't be easy. We have to make sure that we keep our intensity levels high both on Sunday and right through until June because the season is far from over and there are a handful of very good teams in hot pursuit.

"One of our objectives, reaching a cup final, has been ticked off and now our focus can switch back to making sure we remain in first place in Serie A."

There are no new injury worries for Juve, who remain without defenders Martin Caceres (Achilles) and Giorgio Chiellini (calf).

Mauricio Pinilla (calf) is still a doubt for Atlalanta, who are minus the services of winger Alejandro Gomez.

Atalanta are seven points above the relegation zone and without win in 12 matches going into this weekend's encounter.

But coach Edy Reja remains hopeful his side can spring a surprise and end a 15-year wait for a league success against Juve.

He told Radio Rai: "Sometimes there are surprises and you can get points where you don't expect them."


Key Opta Stats

- Juve have found the net in each of their last 26 Serie A games against Atalanta, scoring 59 goals in the process (2.3 goals per game on average).

- Atalanta have lost more games (61) and conceded more goals (197) against Juventus in Serie A than against any other team.

- Juve have failed to find the net only once in their last 17 league games, while Atalanta have not scored a goal in eight of their last 17 matches.

- Atalanta are currently on their longest winless run (12 games) in a single Serie A campaign since December 2004.


OPTA FACTS

Atalanta’s last Serie A win against Juventus dates back to February 2001 – since then, there have been 20 Juventus wins and two draws in this clash.

Juve have found the net in each of their last 26 Serie A games against Atalanta, scoring 59 goals in the process (2.3 goals per game on average).

Atalanta have lost more games (61) and conceded more goals (197) against Juventus in Serie A than against any other team.

Atalanta are currently on their longest winless run (12 games) in a single Serie A campaign since December 2004.

Juventus have now kept a clean sheet in eight consecutive Serie A games: the Serie A record is nine games in a row in a single campaign held by the Bianconeri themselves along with AC Milan (Inter have managed it too but across two different seasons).

The Bianconeri have failed to find the net only once in their last 17 league games, while Atalanta have not scored any goal in eight of their last 17 matches.

Juventus have not dropped any points from leading positions away from home – on the other hand, Atalanta have never lost at home when leading.

Only Sassuolo (11) have scored fewer goals than Atalanta (13) in the second half of play, while Juventus have conceded eight in the same period, fewer than any other side.


LAST FIVE MATCHES

Atalanta D L D D L

2/28/16 - Carpi 1 - 1 Atalanta
2/21/16 - Atalanta 2 - 3 Fiorentina
2/14/16 - Sampdoria 0 - 0 Atalanta
2/7/16 - Atalanta 0 - 0 Empoli
2/3/16 - Hellas Verona 2 - 1 Atalanta


Juventus W W D D W

3/2/16 - Internazionale 3 - 0 Juventus
2/28/16 - Juventus 2 - 0 Internazionale
2/23/16 - Juventus 2 - 2 Bayern München
2/19/16 - Bologna 0 - 0 Juventus
2/13/16 - Juventus 1 - 0 Napoli


HEAD TO HEAD

10/25/15 - Juventus 2 - 0 Atalanta
2/20/15 - Juventus 2 - 1 Atalanta
9/27/14 - Atalanta 0 - 3 Juventus
5/5/14 - Juventus 1 - 0 Atalanta
12/22/13 - Atalanta 1 - 4 Juventus

 

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

[Socrates 8524]

ATALANTA - JUVENTUS

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MATCHDAY 28
Sunday, March 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM
Atleti Azzurri d'Italia Stadium, Bergamo
Referee: Paolo Valeri

Sportiello: Atalanta Shouldn’t Be Afraid Of Juventus

http://forzaitalianfootball.com/2016/03/sportiello-atalanta-shouldnt-be-afraid-of-juventus/?

Mar 5, 2016
 
Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Sportiello is adamant that his team will not just sit back for the visit of Juventus as that is a recipe for failure.

The 23-year-old promised that the Dea always have faith in their own abilities even when up against the best.

“We never take to the pitch just to lose, even against Juventus,” said Sportiello to L’Eco di Bergamo.

“You lose if you sit back and don’t do anything else against the big teams because they have quality players who can change a game with a single piece of play.

“We’re playing in Bergamo, our defence is solid and we will try to score.”

The goalkeeper was also asked about his side’s hopes of survival as they sit seven points clear of the relegation zone.

“I don’t believe that Atalanta are at risk of relegation,” added Sportiello.

“I do not see Serie B as a real danger but our self-love has to emerge now.”

The former Carpi stopper also identified who he feels are Juve’s strongest players.

“Dybala and Pogba but they have other strong players,” Sportiello went on.

“I believe that they will win the league.”

 

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

[Socrates 8524]

ATALANTA - JUVENTUS

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MATCHDAY 28
Sunday, March 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM
Atleti Azzurri d'Italia Stadium, Bergamo
Referee: Paolo Valeri

Dybala: 'Juve change image'

http://www.football-italia.net/80870/dybala-juve-change-image?

Mar 6, 2016
 
Paulo Dybala said Juventus want to “give a different image of ourselves” after the debacle against Inter.

The Bianconeri face Atalanta in Serie A this afternoon.

It is their first match since the 3-0 Coppa Italia defeat at San Siro, though they did go through on penalties.

“We know what happened against Inter was not good,” Dybala told Mediaset Premium.

“We have to give a different image of ourselves and I think today against Atalanta we can do that.

“We have to win, even if Napoli and the other sides were to lose. We are Juve and we have to win in every stadium.

“Today is worth three points and we just want to be top of the table, so we’ll fight to the final whistle. Atalanta will be hungry for points, as are we.”

 

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127

[Socrates 8524]

ATALANTA - JUVENTUS

-

 
 

MATCHDAY 28
Sunday, March 6th, 2016 - 3:00 PM
Atleti Azzurri d'Italia Stadium, Bergamo
Referee: Paolo Valeri

Line-ups: Atalanta-Juventus

http://www.football-italia.net/80867/line-ups-atalanta-juventus?

Mar 6, 2016
 
Juventus bring in Roberto Pereyra and Claudio Marchisio for their trip to Atalanta, needing a result to go clear at the top.

It kicks off at 15.00 CET - 14.00 GMT.

Napoli beat Chievo 3-1 last night to catch Juve in the top spot.

The pressure is also on the Bianconeri after their midweek 3-0 humiliation in the Coppa Italia against Inter, although they still managed to qualify for the Final on penalties, 3-3 on aggregate.

Marchisio returns to the fold, though Giorgio Chiellini, Stefano Sturaro and Martin Caceres are injured.

Pereyra comes in and that means a change of system to 4-3-1-2, as he is the trequartista supporting Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic.

Atalanta are without a victory in 2016 and go into this game without injured Mauricio Pinilla, Alejandro ‘Papu’ Gomez and Carlos Carmona.

Marco Borriello leads the attack with Italy Under-21 international Gaetano Monachello, while Rafael Toloi returns in the back three.

Atalanta have not beaten Juventus, home and away in all competition, since November 2004. They’ve lost the last 11 consecutive encounters, picking up two draws from 17.


Atalanta

Sportiello; Toloi, Paletta, Masiello; Conti, Kurtic, Cigarini, De Roon, Dramè; Borriello, Monachello

Atalanta bench: Bassi, Bellini, Freuler, Stendardo, Cherubin, Raimondi, Brivio, Migliaccio, Gakpé, D'Alessandro,


Juventus

Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Barzagli, Bonucci, Evra; Khedira, Marchisio, Pogba; Pereyra; Mandzukic, Dybala

Juventus bench: Neto, Rubinho, Rugani, Alex Sandro, Padoin, Lemina, Hernanes, Asamoah, Cuadrado, Zaza, Morata

 

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/tables/serie-a/13?ICID=SP_TN_127