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Serie A Week 27 - 9/3/08 (19.30 UK)
Genoa - Juventus
Stadio Ferraris
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Juventus will be looking to get their Champions League charge back on course when they travel to Marassi for a tricky Week 27 encounter with Genoa. The Grifone are reeling after a shock defeat against Cagliari last time out, but their opponents on Sunday are winless in their last three.
The Bianconeri should have ended their brief skid in their last outing against Fiorentina in Turin, but they let a 2-1 lead slip late on, eventually losing the game to a last minute goal by Pablo Daniel Osvaldo. That followed a disappointing stalemate in the local derby against Torino, which Claudio Ranieri’s boys had more than enough chances to win, and an abysmal reverse against Reggina. However, with no Champions League game to distract them in midweek, the Old Lady will be confident of preventing another upset this weekend.
The defence will certainly be far stronger as Giorgio Chiellini returns from a one-match ban. Zdenek Grygera will be the man to make way for the Azzurri stopper, although the Czech will be hoping to retain his place in the team at the expense of Jonathan Zebina. That is likely to be the Bianconeri’s only change, as Pavel Nedved still has a game left to serve on his suspension for pulling Gianluca Comotto’s hair in the heated Turin derby last Wednesday.
Genoa, meanwhile, continue to shoot themselves in the foot by failing to put a decent run of results together which would see them competing for a spot in Europe. They really should have been eyeing up three wins on the bounce after seeing off Udinese and Napoli, but blew it with a disappointing loss at basement boys Cagliari. That match did, however, feature just the third goal scored by a Rossoblu defender this term, although that record puts the midfield to shame. Only Danilo out of the current crop has found the back of the net.
Fortunately, Marco Borriello has had his scoring boots on this term and is currently the top scorer in the Division. He is expected to be joined once again in an attacking trident by Giuseppe Sculli and Julio Leon, with Marco Di Vaio settling for a place on the substitutes’ bench. The only change Gian Piero Gasperini is likely to make to the side which lost in Sardinia will come in midfield, as Ivan Juric’s suspension opens the door for Abdoulay Konko.
Juventus and Genoa went head-to-head twice last term as they secured promotion from Serie B, although both outfits’ place in the Cadetti was due to off-the-field misdemeanours. The clash at Marassi finished all-square, but it was more memorable for Pavel Nedved’s dismissal for stamping on the referee’s foot! The Bianconeri won the return meeting in Turin, before following suit in this term’s corresponding fixture courtesy of an Alessandro Del Piero goal.
Keep an eye on: David Trezeguet (Juventus) – The French hitman is without a goal since the end of January, so he needs to get back on course soon if he is to usurp Borriello as Capocannoniere.
Form guide: Genoa (D L W W L) Juventus (W W L D L)
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Genoa (probable): Rubinho; Lucarelli, De Rosa, Criscito; Rossi, Milanetto, Konko, Fabiano; Sculli, Borriello, Leon
Juventus (probable): Buffon; Zebina, Legrottaglie, Chiellini, Molinaro; Camoranesi, Sissoko, Zanetti, Palladino; Trezeguet, Del Piero
Ref: To follow...
channel4
Genoa - Juventus
Stadio Ferraris
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Juventus will be looking to get their Champions League charge back on course when they travel to Marassi for a tricky Week 27 encounter with Genoa. The Grifone are reeling after a shock defeat against Cagliari last time out, but their opponents on Sunday are winless in their last three.
The Bianconeri should have ended their brief skid in their last outing against Fiorentina in Turin, but they let a 2-1 lead slip late on, eventually losing the game to a last minute goal by Pablo Daniel Osvaldo. That followed a disappointing stalemate in the local derby against Torino, which Claudio Ranieri’s boys had more than enough chances to win, and an abysmal reverse against Reggina. However, with no Champions League game to distract them in midweek, the Old Lady will be confident of preventing another upset this weekend.
The defence will certainly be far stronger as Giorgio Chiellini returns from a one-match ban. Zdenek Grygera will be the man to make way for the Azzurri stopper, although the Czech will be hoping to retain his place in the team at the expense of Jonathan Zebina. That is likely to be the Bianconeri’s only change, as Pavel Nedved still has a game left to serve on his suspension for pulling Gianluca Comotto’s hair in the heated Turin derby last Wednesday.
Genoa, meanwhile, continue to shoot themselves in the foot by failing to put a decent run of results together which would see them competing for a spot in Europe. They really should have been eyeing up three wins on the bounce after seeing off Udinese and Napoli, but blew it with a disappointing loss at basement boys Cagliari. That match did, however, feature just the third goal scored by a Rossoblu defender this term, although that record puts the midfield to shame. Only Danilo out of the current crop has found the back of the net.
Fortunately, Marco Borriello has had his scoring boots on this term and is currently the top scorer in the Division. He is expected to be joined once again in an attacking trident by Giuseppe Sculli and Julio Leon, with Marco Di Vaio settling for a place on the substitutes’ bench. The only change Gian Piero Gasperini is likely to make to the side which lost in Sardinia will come in midfield, as Ivan Juric’s suspension opens the door for Abdoulay Konko.
Juventus and Genoa went head-to-head twice last term as they secured promotion from Serie B, although both outfits’ place in the Cadetti was due to off-the-field misdemeanours. The clash at Marassi finished all-square, but it was more memorable for Pavel Nedved’s dismissal for stamping on the referee’s foot! The Bianconeri won the return meeting in Turin, before following suit in this term’s corresponding fixture courtesy of an Alessandro Del Piero goal.
Keep an eye on: David Trezeguet (Juventus) – The French hitman is without a goal since the end of January, so he needs to get back on course soon if he is to usurp Borriello as Capocannoniere.
Form guide: Genoa (D L W W L) Juventus (W W L D L)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Genoa (probable): Rubinho; Lucarelli, De Rosa, Criscito; Rossi, Milanetto, Konko, Fabiano; Sculli, Borriello, Leon
Juventus (probable): Buffon; Zebina, Legrottaglie, Chiellini, Molinaro; Camoranesi, Sissoko, Zanetti, Palladino; Trezeguet, Del Piero
Ref: To follow...
channel4