Italian Serie A Match Preview: UC Sampdoria vs. Juventus FC
Blucerchiati struggles continue
Domenico Di Carlo’s men continue to struggle in the league ever since the mercurial http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Antonio-Cassano-c6302 fell out with the club president, and subsequently left for AC Milan. For a side that finished 4th last year, three
wins from the last seven outings can hardly be tagged as a positive.
Currently, Di Carlo’s men stand 10th in the league after having accumulated 26 points. Blucerchiati have a game in hand, but even maximum points in that fixture will not take Sampdoria into the European zone; first seven
spots. However, Il Doria go into this game on the back of a morale boosting Coppa Italia victory over http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Udinese-Calcio-c40789 and Di Carlo will want his troops to remain consistent.
Furthermore, Blucerchiati have an excellent home record with just one defeat in nine home games.
Champions League berth a priority
After Juventus’ hard-fought 2–1 victory over bottom ranked AS Bari, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Alberto-Aquilani-c4313 came out in the press and admitted that Juve are indeed not Scudetto material.
“This is a great club that has won everything, but the reality is that you can also struggle against Bari. These are no longer the times of Zinedine Zidane or Pavel Nedved” Aquilani said.
"The Scudetto? Lets not joke. Milan, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Roma-c31603 are better than us by a long way. Realistically fourth place is our objective” he added.
The club seems to be thinking on similar lines. Juventus have been plagued with inconsistency and have lost two out of three Serie A games since the turn of New Year. The Old Lady of Italian football has gained 34 points from 20
games; three points behind SS http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lazio-c39775 who occupy the fourth and last Champions League berth.
Bianconeri however, have an excellent away record. Statistics indicate that Juventus are the third best team when it comes to away form. A victory, although far from guaranteed, can be expected.
Team News
UC Sampdoria
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Daniele-Gastaldello-c10121 will miss the crucial encounter as they continue to nurse their respective injuries.
Loan-arrival, Franco Macheda and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Giampaolo-Pazzini-c14802 will lead the Blucerchiati lines in a 4-4-2 formation.
Juventus FC
Juventus have been extremely unlucky with injures this season. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Felipe-Melo-c13535 will also
miss the encounter due to suspension.
Luigi Del Neri will start http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Alessandro-Del-Piero-c4726 in the attack.
Key Players
Alberto Aquilani
The AS Roma youth product has been a world-class presence ever since he made his loan switch from http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 FC. His goals, assists and overall play have been simply impressive. With Juve struggling for goals upfront, Aqua man
will have to provide all the ammunition from midfield with his juicy through balls and cross-field play.
Giampaolo Pazzini
With Antonio Cassano living the dream at San Siro, AC Milan, Pazzo is the new attacking talisman for his team. Indeed, his exploits in recent weeks have won Il Doria valuable points. Juventus are wildly expected to launch a bid
for the Italian international in the summers and Pazzini will be eager to impress his suitors.
Prediction
The game will be a cagey affair as both sides can ill afford a loss. Should either side score an early goal, we are in for a great game. However, with defence being the priority, that is unlikely to happen as the two teams will
fight out a 1-1 draw.
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