Juventus - Cagliari
Stadio Delle Alpi
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Juventus have an air of invincibility at the moment and it will require a near-miracle for Cagliari to change that when they meet at the Stadio Delle Alpi on Sunday. While the Sardinians will expect defeat, they have had a positive couple of weeks and will look to force Fabio Capello’s men to work hard for the three points.
Victory over Fiorentina last weekend, coupled with Milan’s defeat at Chievo, opened up an eight point gap at the top of the table, but Capello is determined to avoid any complacency and will accept nothing less than a fifth straight victory. The Juventus boss will also be determined to detract from Press speculation that he may be set for a move to Madrid.
Nedo Sonetti will be highly encouraged by his Cagliari side’s recent performances. After a disastrous start to the season which saw the demise of three Coaches, the Sardinians are finally playing with some confidence and resolve.
A 2-0 win over Sampdoria in Week 13 owed a lot to Honduran striker David Suazo who netted his sixth and seventh goals of the campaign and is showing his true potential. Last week’s 2-2 draw with Palermo was an apt demonstration of Sonetti’s positive impact. Having trailed 2-0 at the break, they fought back to get a 2-2 draw.
The Cagliari Coach will go in search of an improbable first away win of the season with a full squad. Capello is likely to start Gigi Buffon but is missing Emerson, Fabio Cannavaro and Mauro Camoranesi. Brazilian defender Gladstone and Federico Balzaretti are likely to benefit from the depleted squad and start on the bench.
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Juventus (probable): Buffon; Zambrotta, Thuram, Kovac, Chiellini; Blasi, Giannichedda, Vieira, Nedved; Trezeguet, Ibrahimovic
Cagliari (probable): Campagnolo; Lopez, Vignati, Bizera, Agostini; Esposito, Conti, Budel, Conticchio; Suazo, Langella