Italian Serie A Preview: Juventus FC vs. Udinese Calcio
Bianconeri struggling
The Old Lady of Italian football ended 2010 on a disappointing note, as a modest Chievo Verona outfit held them to a draw. New Year has not turned out too well for Luigi Del Neri and his men. Juventus have played four games in
January so far, and have been able to gather only four points from a possible 12. Eight dropped points will certainly hurt La Vecchia Signora’s Champions League ambitions.
Juventus are placed sixth in the league with 35 points; they are three points behind fourth placed http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Inter-c39567 Milan who have a game in hand. Should Del Neri fail to mastermind a victory tonight, Champions League will slip further away
from Turin, and a club of Juventus’ calibre simply cannot afford that.
Del Neri will face a talented and dangerous Udinese outfit on 31 January. Zebrette are one of the in-form teams in the league and this encounter will be a big test of Del Neri’s tactical genius.
Zebrette in full throttle
As the season has progressed, Udinese have grown better with each passing match day. Even after a dismal start to the season, the little zebras find themselves occupying eighth place in a highly competitive Serie A. Francesco Guidolin
and his men will travel to Turin brimming with confidence, as their last Serie A outing brought them the prized scalp of reigning Italian and European champions; Inter Milan.
As things stand, Udinese have 33 points to their name. Just five points separate them from the Champions League. A victory tonight will award them three bonus points. It will also provide Zebrette with all the momentum as they
look to finish the season in style.
Team News
Juventus FC
Luigi Del Neri is one unlucky man. The Bianconeri tactician has 10 players warming the injury tables. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Paolo-De-Ceglie-c29083
and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Leandro-Rinaudo-c21843 will all miss the game.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Amauri-c5381 will lead the lines in Del Neri’s 4-4-2 formation.
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Udinese-Calcio-c40789
Gabriele Angella, Dusan Basta and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Antonio-Di-Natale-c6306 will start in the attack while
Gokhan Inler will pull the strings from midfield.
Key Players
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Gianluigi-Buffon-c14833
The legendary custodian returned from his injury last week and already looks like he could be the Bianconeri saviour. Against a fearsome Udinese attack, Buffon will have to perform at par if Juventus are to win any points.
Alexis Sanchez
Scouts from countries near and far will flock to Stadio Olimpico di Torino to watch this diminutive fireball. The Chilean attacker has displayed mesmerising skill on the ball, and he will look to add another scalp to a burgeoning
list of victims. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Leonardo-Bonucci-c22064 are in for a tough time.
Prediction
Even though everything is pointing towards the Udinese victory, Juventus are a legendary club and they should not be taken lightly. Moreover, the home crowd will play a decisive role. The game will finish 2–2 after 90 minutes of
enthralling action.
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