Overview
After missing the opportunity to extend their winning streak to five because they were held to a 1-1 draw by Lecce, Juventus immediately returned to the race just 3 days later.
Traveling to Reggio Emilia in the Serie A mid-week round, Juve faced a away game that was predicted to be not easy. However, they quickly made their mark from the 16th minute and almost did not give Sassuolo a chance to create a surprise.
Jonathan David's emotional goal - a goal that helped the Canadian striker end his scoring thirst in Serie A - closed the 3-0 convincing victory. That was also David's way to partly atone for the regrettable penalty kick against Lecce.
Under the leadership of Luciano Spalletti, who is entering the key stage of his contract expected to expire at the end of the season, Juventus is showing clear signs of recovery. In the last 10 matches in all competitions, they have won 8 matches - a series of results enough to consolidate confidence in the current direction.
Although Spalletti has publicly mentioned the Scudetto race ambition, Juventus' main goal is still to win a top 4 spot, in the context of the fierce Champions League ticket race.
With a 13-match unbeaten streak at home in Serie A, and a superior head-to-head record against Cremonese in Turin, Juventus has grounds to expect another point-grabbing match.
In the opposite direction, Cremonese brings with them unpleasant statistics. Up to this point, they have lost all 8 away matches in the national championship against Juventus, with a total score of 3-23.
The overall picture of the season is also not really supportive of the Lombardy team. After 17 rounds, Cremonese only won 4 points, including a 1-2 home defeat to Juventus at the beginning of the season. Not only is the history of confrontations disadvantageous, the current form of Davide Nicola's team also raises many questions.
After defeats against Napoli and Torino, interspersed with a 0-0 draw with Lazio, Cremonese started the new year with a defeat to Fiorentina - a team that is facing many problems.
Not stopping there, they continued to lose the 2-goal lead right at home against Cagliari, even though Dennis Johnsen and Jamie Vardy helped Cremonese control the game in the first half.
The positive point is that Cremonese has ended a nearly 400-minute goalless streak. However, the latest slip made them only have 2 points in the last 5 matches. However, the mid-table position still brings a relatively safe feeling.
The problem is that Cremonese has not even scored any goals in the last three away games. Therefore, defeating Juventus in Turin at this time is no different from a great task.
Personnel situation
Juventus still leaves open the possibility of Francisco Conceicao playing, after the Portuguese midfielder was confirmed unable to play. In addition, Dusan Vlahovic, Daniele Rugani and Federico Gatti are still in the treatment process, forcing Spalletti to continue to calculate personnel cautiously.
In terms of system layout, Spalletti has recently rotated to use Teun Koopmeiners in the role of defender and familiar midfielder position. If Koopmeiners is pushed higher, Lloyd Kelly is likely to be named in Bianconeri's three-man defense to ensure balance.
In attack, Jonathan David aims to score 2 consecutive goals for the first time since March, when he was still playing for Lille. Meanwhile, Lois Openda is predicted to start on the bench.
On the Cremonese side, the attack usually revolves around Federico Bonazzoli and number one striker Jamie Vardy. Dennis Johnsen scored with a goal against Cagliari, thereby creating a basis to compete for a starting spot.
However, Davide Nicola can also prioritize strengthening the midfield by adding a midfielder to the starting lineup.
In terms of force, Michele Collocolo is definitely absent due to injury, while Jeremy Sarmiento is likely to soon terminate the unexpected loan contract from Brighton.
Expected lineup:
Di Gregorio, Kalulu, Bremer, Koopmeiners, McKennie, Locatelli, Thuram, Cambiaso, Miretti, Yildiz, David.
Audero, Terracciano, Baschirotto, Bianchetti, Zerbin, Payero, Grassi, Vandeputte, Pezzella, Bonazzoli, Vardy.
The match between Juventus and Cremonese takes place at 2:45 AM on January 13 (Vietnam time).
