Overview
Juventus is getting closer to the goal of winning a ticket to the UEFA Champions League, taking advantage of recent setbacks by Como and AS Roma to create an advantage in the top 4 Serie A race.
However, when the season is only 4 rounds away, the competition is still potentially dramatic. Therefore, Juventus needs to take advantage of the favorable schedule ahead, with opponents being Lecce, Fiorentina and Torino, respectively, after the match against Hellas Verona.
Under the leadership of Luciano Spalletti, Juventus reached high form at the right time, with 5 wins in the last 7 matches in Serie A and only conceding 1 goal. The 0-0 draw against AC Milan last week also helped them extend their unbeaten streak to 9 matches in all competitions.
The defense is a big mainstay as Juventus has kept a clean sheet in 4 consecutive matches. Since Spalletti took over in November last year, they have faced the fewest shots on target in the league. Home advantage is also very clear, as the "Old Lady" has only lost 1 of her last 21 matches in Serie A.
Head-to-head history also favors Juventus. They have won 6/8 of their most recent encounters with Verona, scoring 13 goals and conceding only 3.
In the opposite direction, Verona has officially been relegated after a series of poor results. The 0-0 draw with Lecce last week, along with Lecce's victory afterwards, made the 10-point gap impossible to close - thereby confirming their 10th relegation.
Under interim coach Paolo Sammarco, Verona has only won 1 point in the last 6 matches, scoring only 1 goal. They are also in the group of teams that have lost the most in the top 5 European national championships this season.
History makes the task even more difficult. Verona has never won on Juventus's field in Serie A, having lost 29 out of 34 away games against this opponent. With their current form, the disadvantageous scenario seems to continue to be repeated, which is difficult to avoid.
Personnel situation
Juventus is only missing two names: Juan Cabal and Arkadiusz Milik, while offensive pillars such as Dusan Vlahovic and Kenan Yildiz will likely recover in time to play.
Yildiz is having a knee problem, causing him to only enter the field from the bench in the last 2 matches. The absence of the young Turkish talent always has a significant impact. In the last two seasons, Juventus' winning rate has decreased by 36% and the average scoring efficiency is 0.6 goals/game lower when he is not in the starting lineup. However, inadequate fitness may make Jeremie Boga continue to be trusted to replace him.
On the other side, Verona faces more problems in terms of force. Key striker Gift Orban has been silent since January and was even dropped from the squad after an unpleasant incident with fans last month.
In that context, Paolo Sammarco can arrange Kieron Bowie to pair with Tomas Suslov or Amin Sarr in attack. Meanwhile, Daniel Mosquera had knee surgery and is out for the rest of the season.
Expected lineup:
Juventus: Di Gregorio, Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly, Cambiaso, Thuram, Locatelli, Conceicao, McKennie, Boga, David.
Hellas Verona: Montipo, Edmundsson, Nelsson, Frese, Belghali, Akpa Akpro, Gagliardini, Bernede, Bradaric, Suslov, Bowie.
The match between Juventus and Verona takes place at 11:00 p.m. on May 3 (Vietnam time).
