The early elimination from the Champions League in the midweek means Juventus will have to put up a strong performance against Serie A newbies Lecce on Saturday evening.
After a brief spell of optimism following the two wins against Torino and Empoli in the league, Juventus ran into another disaster, with a defeat to Benfica knocking them out of this season’s Champions League. They were on the cusp of salvation, but the defeat has put them back on the periphery of a rugged cliff.
A win on Saturday against the Giallorossi might not be enough to convince the fans of the Bianconeri’s ambitions this season, but it would certainly be a massive push for their aim to finish the season within the top four teams in Serie A.
While Massimiliano Allegri’s men remain keen on pushing for that top-four finish, Lecce, who currently find themselves just above the relegation zone, would fancy their chances on their home turf against an inconsistent group of players.
Results in the last five matches in all competitions:
Lecce: W-D-L-D-L
Juventus: L-L-W-W-L
Team News
On loan from Barcelona, Samuel Umtiti should make the start for Marco Baroni’s side. As far as the reports from Italy are concerned, Lecce don’t have any serious absentee. However, their only doubt is defensive midfielder Morten Hjulmand.
As for Juventus, the injury concerns have continued to take a toll on their results. And the list of absentees has continued to grow, with one of their key players in Dušan Vlahović being the latest to get injured. He will miss the game against Lecce due to an adductor strain. On the other hand, Leandro Paredes, Bremer, Ángel Di María, Federico Chiesa, Mattia De Sciglio, and Paul Pogba are understood to be unavailable for the weekend’s fixture. The latest reports understand that Matías Soulé could start for the Old Lady.
Lecce predicted XI vs Juventus:
Falcone; Baschirotto, Pongracic, Umtiti, Pezzella; Askildsen, Hjulmand, Gonzalez; Strefezza, Ceesay, Di Francesco.
Juventus predicted XI vs Lecce:
Szczesny; Rugani, Bonucci, Danilo; Cuadrado, McKennie, Miretti, Rabiot, Kostic; Milik, Soulé.
GIFN | Jyotirmoy Halder
