Despite recent failures in Europe, both Juventus and top-four rivals Lazio have been approaching top form in Italy of late, and they contest Serie A's final fixture of 2022 on Sunday.
The teams convene in Turin, separated only by two points and two places in the standings; with the hosts on a five-match winning streak in the top flight, and their capital city counterparts having lost just one league game since September.
Match preview
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Following victory over Inter in the Derby d'Italia - their fourth league win on the spin - a reborn Juventus continued their improved run of results on Thursday, when they visited rock-bottom Verona.
Deputising for injured top scorer Dusan Vlahovic at Stadio Bentegodi, Moise Kean struck on the hour mark to secure maximum points, as Juve posted yet another clean sheet to add to a growing number this term.
In fact, the Old Lady last conceded a league goal back at the start of October, away to Milan, as Max Allegri's insistence on playing pragmatic football begins to bear fruit after a troubled start to the campaign both at home and abroad.
Already consigned to the Europa League playoffs due to some inept showings in the Champions League group stage, a transitional Juve side may not be considered contenders for the Scudetto - which they have failed to claim for the past two seasons, following nine years of unbroken success - but a top-four finish remains a minimum requirement.
Winning three consecutive away fixtures without conceding a goal for the first time since 2018 certainly helps in that regard, and now Allegri's men return to Turin, where they have won their last three Serie A matches by an aggregate score of 9-0.
Precedent is most definitely on their side, too, as they attempt to overcome in-form opponents and prolong that streak: Juventus last failed to find the net against Lazio some 10 years ago, and since then, have scored 37 goals in 19 encounters between the pair.
Furthermore, the Bianconeri have lost just two of their last 35 Serie A meetings - and not since December 2019, when a certain Maurizio Sarri was in charge at the Allianz Stadium.
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Bouncing straight back from successive defeats to Salernitana and Europa League conquerors Feyenoord, the latter of which saw them drop down to the Europa Conference League, Lazio have won twice over the past few days to establish themselves as dark horses for the Italian title.
After a morale-boosting victory in the Derby della Capitale, Sarri's side faced improving Monza on Thursday evening, when they took the chance to claim second spot in the Serie A standings, behind runaway leaders Napoli.
While they remain eight points adrift of the irrepressible front-runners, after Luka Romero's second-half strike earned all three points, Lazio travel to Turin for their final game before the World Cup sitting above not only Juventus, but also Milan, Inter and arch-rivals Roma.
The Biancocelesti can justifiably hope to keep their hosts at bay this weekend, having posted a clean sheet in each of their last four away matches. Indeed, only once in club history have Lazio enjoyed a better run of shut-outs on the road - and not since the late 1990s, under Scudetto-winning coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.
They have fared well enough at the other end too: in the ongoing absence of captain Ciro Immobile, converted winger Felipe Anderson has coped admirably up front; supported by veteran forward Pedro and Italy international Mattia Zaccagni. Whether the trio can now break through Juve's teak-tough rearguard, however, is an entirely different matter.
Team News
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Though both Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic returned to training after Juve's win in Verona, either forward will feature on the bench at best on Sunday. The latter has scored four Serie A goals against Lazio since moving to Italy, three of which were on home soil.
After being rested at the Bentegodi, Wojciech Szczesny should return to the starting XI, while midweek match-winner Moise Kean aims to hold off competition from young Fabio Miretti to support Arkadiusz Milik up front.
The hosts' midfield trio is unlikely to be changed after an upturn in form, with Max Allegri expected to persist with his recent 3-5-2 formation.
Meanwhile, World Cup absentee Paul Pogba remains on the road to recovery; joining Mattia De Sciglio and English starlet Samuel Iling-Junior on the sidelines. Due to his late dismissal against Verona, Alex Sandro must serve a suspension.
Perhaps even more important for Lazio than Vlahovic's presence for their hosts, the capital club hope to have Ciro Immobile - who started his top-flight career at Juventus - back from injury for Sunday's 2022 finale. Furthermore, Mattia Zaccagni should recover from a calf problem; further bolstering Maurizio Sarri's attacking options.
However, the ex-Juve coach will have to make a change at right-back, as Manuel Lazzari sustained a calf injury against Monza - Elseid Hysaj should switch across from the left flank.
After both dropping out in midweek, Adam Marusic and Danilo Cataldi are set to return, with the latter partnering Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in midfield. The Serbian maestro scored a 96th-minute equaliser on his last appearance at the Allianz Stadium, back in May, and has laid on four assists in his last four away appearances.
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, Bremer; Cuadrado, Fagioli, Paredes, Rabiot, Kostic; Kean, Milik
Lazio possible starting lineup:
Provedel; Hysaj, Casale, Romagnoli, Marusic; Milinkovic-Savic, Cataldi, Vecino; Cancellieri, Anderson, Pedro
We say: Juventus 1-1 Lazio
Only Barcelona have conceded fewer goals at home than Juventus (three) in the top five European leagues this term, while Lazio (one) have leaked the fewest away goals so far. Therefore, a high-scoring thriller is probably not on the cards in Turin, where the spoils will be shared in a tightly-contested draw.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
