Having climbed to within touching distance of leaders AC Milan, Juventus will be looking to further close the two point gap with a win against Palermo, who are faced with an injury crisis in the home game.
Palermo (9) will host Juventus (2) in the matchday 31 clash of the of the 2011/12 Serie A on Saturday, April 7th at 16:30 GMT.
The Rosanero will come into the game on the back of a 3-1 triumph over Bologna, while Juventus humiliated Napoli 3-0 in their last Serie A fixture.
The last face-off between the two teams ended in a 3-0 victory for the Bianconeri.
Palermo
The team are in good spirits after a win in the last fixture, but they will have their last game against the Old Lady in the back of their minds, which saw them crushed 3-0 and ended their four-match winning streak in the league.
The Rosanero support a phenomenal record at home having scored 32 goals in all the home games this season, a feat matched only by http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Napoli-c40003 in the current season. Since their promotion to the top flight in 2004, Palermo have had the upper hand over the Bianconeri,
with seven wins out of the 13 encounters as well as one draw, and five defeats.
However, their hopes of a win against Bianconeri will be much diminished considering their injury problems. Moreover, the Bianconeri are unbeaten this season, and with their eyes set on the Scudetto, they will be even harder to beat for Palermo.
Juventus
Although four the last five head-to-head games against the Rosanero ended in a defeat for the Old Lady, but many would agree that they are a different team now, a fact proved by their 3-0 victory over the Aquile earlier this season.
They are the only unbeaten team in the season, and will be looking for a payback against the side that has been thrashing them consistently in the recent history. Juventus are in an incredible run of form of late starting with a 5-0 victory over Fiorentina,
followed by 2-0 against http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Inter-c39567 Milan and 3-0 triumph against Napoli.
Antonio Conte’s side has also featured a brilliant defensive display away from home in the ongoing season. The Old Lady have conceded just eight goals away from home this season, in the 15 games so far.
Combine this with the phenomenal scoring form shown recently by the Bianconeri, and you get the picture of the thereat that the Italian giants are currently posing for the opposition. The side are extremely motivated to win the crunch battle for Scudetto,
and will be ready to give their all in order to take the three points away from the hosts.
Team News
Palermo
The Aquile are faced with a number of key absences ahead of the tough clash. Defender http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Abel-Hernández-c3432 will be unavailable for selection pertaining to suspension.
Moreover, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Carlos-c8346 Labrin and Afriyie Acquah in the match against Bianconeri.
Expected Starting Line-up: Viviano, Munoz, Milanovic, Labrin, Pisano, Migliaccio, Rocca, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Barreto-c7308, Acquah, Miccoli, Budan.
Juventus
The visitors are injury free in the match, and will enter the field with all their top guns intact. Following Marco Borriello's unimpressive performance in the last match, he is expected to be replaced by http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Alessandro-Matri-c4733, the top scorer for the team.
Expected Starting Line-up: Buffon, Lichtsteiner, Barzagli, Chiellini, De Ceglie, Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Pepe-c29670, Matri, Vucinic.
Players to watch:
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Fabrizio-Miccoli-c13236 (Palermo)
With 12 goals and another 12 assists to his name, the striker leads the team’s leader boards in both the categories, and can rightly be called the http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Alpha-c38349 and omega of their offense. With a lot of players missing from their side, Palermo’s attack will rely
more than ever on the veteran, to supply them with goals against the almost impenetrable Bianconeri defence.
Alessandro Matri (Juventus)
The striker is expected to make a comeback to the side in the game, and will be looking to make his mark and cement his position in the starting eleven, just like old days. The out-of-form goal scorer showed signs of magic in a time when other strikers were
having a hard time scoring goals for the Bianconeri, and supplied his team with a consistent flow of goals.
The aggressor is the top scorer for the team, and will look to prove his mettle to the manager that he still has a lot of fire power to give to Juventus, in their run to the Scudetto.
Prediction
Juventus with their superior squad and even superior spirits, will be the heart favourites to take the three points from the game. However, considering Palermo’s form at home, the match will be far from easy for the Old Lady, and they will have to fight
for every inch on the field to gain a victory. Prediction 2-0 to Juventus.
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