Having taken just six points from seven Serie A matches, ailing Juventus have lost their grip on second spot in the standings ahead of Sunday's clash with Genoa.
While the Bianconeri let a lead slip against Atalanta BC last time out, their visitors almost rescued a point at home to Monza but were ultimately left empty-handed.
Match preview
© Reuters
Once in the running for their first Scudetto in four years, a recent nosedive has left Juventus trailing league leaders Inter Milan by 17 points - and last week's events allowed AC Milan to overtake them in second place.
Despite fighting back from behind to lead 2-1, through goals from Andrea Cambiaso and Arkadiusz Milik, reported Juve transfer target Teun Koopmeiners then completed his brace to help Atalanta snatch a draw; meanwhile, Milan scraped past Empoli.
In the process of winning just one of their last seven Serie A fixtures, Max Allegri's men have been unusually open at the back, and the former clean-sheet specialists last kept any opponent goalless back in late January.
The Bianconeri have conceded twice in each of their last four league matches - the last time they did so for five games straight was more than 60 years ago - and only four teams have earned fewer points since the end of January.
Allegri's future is still to be decided, and with several capable managers on the market this summer, his second spell in Turin is not sure to continue past the end of the season.
With both second place and the Coppa Italia still up for grabs, though, there is still plenty left to play for, so Juve will now aim to get back on track by extending their long unbeaten streak at home to Sunday's visitors.
© Reuters
After securing a spirited 1-1 draw in December's reverse fixture, Genoa will now seek their first league win away to Juventus in 20 attempts, of which no fewer than 15 have ended in defeat.
Scoring an average of just 0.6 goals per game in the process, the Grifone would travel to the Allianz Stadium in some trepidation solely on that basis, but they have proved a competitive side this season.
Last weekend, Alberto Gilardino's men lost back-to-back league games for just the second time since earning promotion to Italy's top flight, but they are yet to lose three on the spin since bouncing back from Serie B at the first attempt.
Trailing by two goals at the break against mid-table rivals Monza, Genoa rallied after the interval, as top scorer Albert Gudmundsson and January signing Vitinha both found the net, but they still suffered just a fourth league defeat at Marassi.
The Ligurian club may now have lost three of their last five matches, but they are not out of contention for a top-half finish and sit nine points clear of the drop zone.
Team News
© Reuters
As Adrien Rabiot and reserve goalkeeper Mattia Perin returned to training this week, Max Allegri should have both at his disposal on Sunday afternoon.
After recovering from a shoulder injury to play a major role last week, only Milan's Olivier Giroud has laid on more assists than Weston McKennie (seven) in Serie A this season - the American has now set up four of Juve's last six league goals and will start in midfield.
Meanwhile, up front, Dusan Vlahovic is back from suspension so displaces the injured Arkadiusz Milik. Since December's game against Genoa at Marassi, Vlahovic has scored in each of his last seven games against teams inside the bottom half of the Serie A standings, netting 10 goals in total.
Having found the target in both of his first two appearances against Juventus, Albert Gudmundsson will join Italy international Mateo Retegui in Genoa's attack at the Allianz Stadium.
Though Johan Vasquez is available after a one-match ban, Stefano Sabelli now serves a suspension and Aaron Martin will be missing due to injury. Therefore, changes are afoot on either flank, where Djed Spence and the recently returned Ridgeciano Haps are among Alberto Gilardino's alternative options.
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Cambiaso, McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Chiesa, Vlahovic
Genoa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; De Winter, Bani, Vasquez; Messias, Frendrup, Badelj, Malinovskyi, Spence; Gudmundsson; Retegui
We say: Juventus 1-0 Genoa
Juventus can stop their slump by edging to a narrow win, as Genoa are less of a force on the road. Having averaged under a goal per game away from home, the Grifone may not be able to take full advantage of Juve's defensive woes.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
