Serie A Preview: Juventus - Parma
What: Serie A, Week 31
Who: Juventus - Parma
When: Sunday, March 30 2008, 15:00CET
Where: Stadio Olimpico, Turin
Juventus In Confident Mood
The Bianconeri seemed to silence their critics last weekend with their unexpected 2-1 triumph in San Siro against league leaders Inter. A win which was a massive boost for their Champions League bid and they will now be looking to get a firmer grip on Europe’s best club competition when relegation strugglers Parma come to town. It’s sure to be an exciting game and it could end in humiliation for the Crociati. The Bianconeri played some world class football against the Serie A champions and they showed that they are right up there with the top sides, something which was not expected following their return to Italy’s top division.
Following a dire 0-0 result with Empoli the previous week, Juve got back to winning ways and thus confidence in the Bianconeri camp should be high. Club president Giovanni Cobolli Gigli even spoke about a possible second place finish for the Old Lady and so they will be looking to win all their remaining fixtures if they are to go one better and finish in the automatic Champions League place. Ranieri will be hoping his side can produce the goods against their opponents on Sunday but he is well aware that Juve have struggled against the lesser teams in Serie A.
Results such as the 0-0 draw with Empoli and the 2-1 defeat against Reggina have shown that Juventus come unstuck and drop points against teams whose objective is survival. Parma is another one of those teams so things will be tricky for the Turin based club. Once upon a time this game was one of Serie A’s biggest fixtures but the Crociati have never been the same since the big Parmalat scandal which rocked the club into turmoil. Juventus have had the upper hand in the past several years as Parma have only beaten them twice in all competitions since 2000. Ranieri will be expecting three points but he will be prepared for a fight by the Gialloblu as the Tinkerman guided them to Serie A survival last season.
Parma Fighting For Points
When a side is just two points above the relegation zone a fixture against one of the best sides in Italy is, perhaps, not what they really want at this delicate stage of the season. However the visitors need to forget about this come 15:00 hours on Sunday and get down to business. Hector Cuper said he would work hard to save the club from relegation and he will be hoping his side can put in the graft and emerge with at least a point from their outing in Turin.
The Crociati have shown that they can frustrate the big teams in Serie A this season. They drew 0-0 with the mighty Milan earlier this term and back in week 19 they narrowly lost out 3-2 to Inter in a game which was marred by controversy and it was a game which Parma know they should have won. No doubt they will go to Turin hoping to repeat the form they showed against the Milanese clubs. Juventus have struggled against the strugglers and Parma are only too aware of this. However the club have lost nine times on the road and they have won none but they have drawn six times away from the Ennio Tardini.
Cuper will be hoping his side can cause an upset in Turin as they look to pull even further away from the drop zone. Three points against Juventus will be a massive boost for the Romangnoli and it could mean the difference between Serie A survival or a new life in Serie B. The coach has experience in Serie A and many will remember his spell at Inter. The Ducali lost 2-0 to Siena last time out and they will be hoping to bounce back against the Old Lady.
Form Guide
Juventus
Serie A: Inter 1-2 Juventus
Serie A: Empoli 0-0 Juventus
Serie A: Juventus 1-0 Napoli
Serie A: Genoa 0-2 Juventus
Serie A: Juventus 2-3 Fiorentina
Serie A: Juventus 0-0 Torino
Parma
Serie A: Siena 2-0 Parma
Serie A: Parma 2-1 Palermo
Serie A: Livorno 1-1 Parma
Serie A: Parma 1-2 Sampdoria
Serie A: Roma 4-0 Parma
Serie A: Parma 2-0 Udinese
Team News
Juventus: Cristiano Zanetti has returned from injury and he may start against Parma. Jonathan Zebina also returns for Ranieri’s side and he might get the nod ahead of Christian Molinaro. Del Piero is set to start up front with David Trezeguet who featured for France in the friendly against England during the week.
Parma: Cristiano Lucarelli is out with suspension so Daniele Dessena looks likely to start against the Bianconeri. Macdonald Mariga returns from a one match ban but he will start on the bench.
Players To Watch
Juventus: Alessandro Del Piero. The captain did not feature for the Azzurri during the week so he will be fresh to spur his side on to victory. He has been in stunning form recently and he played like the Del Piero we all came to love against Inter.
Parma: Andrea Gasbarroni. Keep an eye out for the former Juve youth team player. His passing and vision is class and he is dangerous from free kicks.
Probable Starting XI’s
Juventus: Buffon; Zebina, Legrottaglie, Chiellini, Grygera; Salihamidzic, Camoranesi, Sissoko, Nedved; Trezeguet, Del Piero
Parma: Bucci; Zenoni, Falcone, Paci, Castellini; Dessena, Morrone, Parravicini, Reginaldo; Gasbarroni; Budan
Prediction
It seems as if the Bianconeri will be the ones who will emerge with three points from this game. Parma will put up a fight but the Old Lady’s class will prevail. It will not be easy for the home side but they have enough quality to be able to take maximum points against a struggling Parma side.
Juventus 3-1 Parma
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