Sports Mole previews Wednesday’s Serie A clash between Juventus and Parma, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
After rescuing one point from a dramatic Derby d’Italia last weekend, Juventus will seek all three on Wednesday, when they welcome Parma to Turin.
Juve stole a share of the spoils in an eight-goal thriller with old foes Inter Milan, and now they aim to stay within reach of Serie A leaders Napoli.
Match preview
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After trailing, then leading, then going in 3-2 down at half time, Juventus produced a remarkable comeback to draw 4-4 with reigning champions Inter on Sunday evening, as Italy’s most prestigious Calcio contest produced a stone-cold classic.
Shortly after the break, Juve fell two goals behind, before surviving several scares, but Turkish teenager Kenan Yildiz emerged from the bench and scored twice to turn the game on its head at San Siro.
Incredibly, the four goals they conceded were as many as throughout all of their previous 10 league matches dating back to the end of last season – and Henrikh Mkhitaryan‘s first-half strike is the only one from open play so far this term.
For all their spirit under new boss Thiago Motta, if Juventus want to challenge for the Scudetto they must surely halt a tendency for ending games all-square: the Turin club have drawn 15 of 29 league matches in 2024, which leads the charts across Europe’s top five leagues.
Only once have the Bianconeri recorded more Serie A draws in a calendar year – tying 17 times back in 1956 – but there are several weeks left to surpass that curious club record.
Just one point behind Inter in the race to haul back early front-runners Napoli, Motta’s men are still well-placed to contend for the title, and they can aid that quest with a midweek win.
As Juve have scored in every top-flight home game against Parma to date – across 26 previous meetings, at an average of 2.5 goals per game – history suggests they should prevail on Wednesday evening.
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Such has been the Bianconeri’s dominance, Parma have won only one of their last 14 league matches against Juventus, losing 10 times in the process.
On this occasion, the Gialloblu will arrive at the Allianz Stadium having taken just four points from seven games since upsetting AC Milan back in August.
As a result, Fabio Pecchia‘s newly promoted side have stumbled towards the Serie A drop zone, sitting a mere three points above last-placed Lecce following a disappointing home draw with Empoli last weekend.
Although Gabriel Charpentier‘s clinical strike pulled Parma level at Stadio Tardini, they then wasted a golden opportunity to taste success when Ange-Yoan Bonny clipped a potentially match-winning penalty off the top of the crossbar.
Precedent suggests last term’s Serie B champions will need to take such chances on home turf, if they are to avoid a swift return to the second tier: including their previous stay in the top flight, Parma are winless in 18 away fixtures.
Juventus Serie A form:
Juventus form (all competitions):
Parma Serie A form:
Team News
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Rarely reliant on the same starting XI from game to game, Thiago Motta is set to tinker with his team on Wednesday, ahead of a weekend trip to Udine.
Having pressed his claims for inclusion by making a massive impact on the Derby d’Italia, Kenan Yildiz could be recalled, as the 19-year-old forward seeks a first league goal at the Allianz Stadium – his four Serie A strikes so far have all come away from home.
As well as long-term absentees Bremer and Arkadiusz Milik, summer signings Teun Koopmeiners and Nico Gonzalez may miss out again, while Douglas Luiz remains a slight doubt due to a thigh problem.
While Dusan Vlahovic sets the standard for Juve in this season’s Capocannoniere chart, Parma’s last six goals have been scored by six different players.
The visitors are expected to stick with Ange-Yoan Bonny up top, while any two from four wide men could support the French striker: Dennis Man and Matteo Cancellieri are in possession, but Valentin Mihaila and Pontus Almqvist – the latter of whom won a penalty after appearing as a substitute on Sunday – are also in contention.
Only defensive duo Yordan Osorio and Alessandro Circati are unavailable, with the latter sidelined until next year after undergoing ACL surgery.
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Di Gregorio; Savona, Kalulu, Gatti, Cabal; Thuram, Locatelli; Conceicao, Yildiz, Weah; Vlahovic
Parma possible starting lineup:
Suzuki; Coulibaly, Del Prato, Balogh, Valeri; Sohm, Bernabe; Man, Hernani, Mihaila; Bonny
We say: Juventus 2-0 Parma
Expect normal service to resume for Juventus, whose superb defensive record was disregarded by Inter last time out, as Parma lack a major goal threat.
At a venue where they generally hand over three points to their hosts, the visitors will not end their wait for a first away win of the season.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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