Three days after thrashing their southern counterparts in the Coppa Italia, Juventus conclude the first half of their Serie A campaign against Salernitana on Sunday.
Before travelling to Stadio Arechi, Juve have not only coasted into the cup quarter-finals but are also closing in on top spot in the table, as the Old Lady's renaissance continues.
Match preview
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On the nine previous occasions Juventus have posted at least 43 points from their first 18 Serie A matches, they have gone on to win the title - most recently in 2019-20.
With one game to play until the midpoint of the current league season, Juve have matched that mark and are on the coat-tails of old rivals Inter Milan at the summit of the standings, trailing the Nerazzurri by just two points at the start of 2024.
Unbeaten in their last 13 league matches, winning no fewer than 10, Max Allegri's men are also in contention to complete a domestic double following Thursday's 6-1 destruction of Salernitana in the Coppa Italia, which featured goals from primavera products Kenan Yildiz and Fabio Miretti.
Next week's quarter-final tie against Frosinone - who currently host several Juve talents, such as Argentinian duo Enzo Barrenechea and Matias Soule - was their reward, and a friendly run of league fixtures leading up to February's Derby d'Italia clash with Inter now awaits.
Allegri had previously seen his side prevail against Roma in their final match of the calendar year, as Adrien Rabiot struck just after half time in Turin - the 12th league game that Juventus had won by a 1-0 scoreline in 2023.
Not surprisingly, the Bianconeri boast the second-most clean sheets in Serie A this season - 10, only fewer than Inter's 12 - and they now reconvene with the side that has the second-fewest shutouts to their name.
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Salernitana have kept only one clean sheet all season, as they battle near the bottom of Serie A, and in eight previous top-flight meetings with Juventus they have conceded 14 goals while scoring just three.
Last February, they were beaten 3-0 by the Bianconeri at Stadio Arechi, so the Campanian club have now shipped nine goals in two games versus Juve and will surely be dreading the Old Lady's arrival in Salerno this weekend.
Ex-Juventus striker Pippo Inzaghi faces a similar challenge to that of 2022, when Salernitana seemed dead and buried at Christmas but somehow pulled off a great escape to avoid slipping back into Serie B by the spring.
Even after last week's 1-0 win over relegation rivals Hellas Verona, Inzaghi's side are still stuck to the foot of the table, but a long-awaited away success at least took their tally to two wins from six league outings - as many as in the previous 19.
The Granata have not posted successive victories in Serie A since October 2022, though, so completing such a feat on Sunday evening is certainly a tall order - particularly with star striker Boulaye Dia still sidelined by injury.
Team News
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Juventus made relatively few changes for Thursday's Coppa Italia tie, as they focus on securing domestic silverware while serving a one-year ban from Europe. Nonetheless, Max Allegri is set to rotate his resources again this weekend.
Dusan Vlahovic could return to the starting lineup, and the Serbian striker has scored five goals and laid on two assists in four previous matches against Salernitana - his last brace away from home came at Stadio Arechi in February 2023.
At least one further change will be necessary, as midfield fulcrum Manuel Locatelli must serve a suspension; Hans Nicolussi Caviglia is therefore poised for promotion from the bench.
In addition to Locatelli's absence, injured trio Moise Kean (shin), Alex Sandro (thigh) and Mattia De Sciglio (ACL) are all still out of contention; Dutch defender Dean Huijsen is bound for Roma on loan.
The hosts, meanwhile, must again do without Senegal striker Boulaye Dia - who missed out on an AFCON call-up due to a hamstring problem - and another first-team regular, Lassana Coulibaly, who is representing Mali this month.
In Dia's absence, Simy battles it out with Nigerian compatriot Chukwu Ikwuemesi - scorer of Salernitana's first-minute goal in midweek - to feature up front.
Juventus youth product Grigoris Kastanos has not overcome a knee issue in time to face his former club, but ex-Juve forward Antonio Candreva - who played for the Bianconeri over a decade ago - should recover from illness. In his last four matches against them, the latter has scored twice and provided one assist.
Salernitana possible starting lineup:
Costil; Daniliuc, Gyomber, Fazio, Bradaric; Legowski, Bohinen; Candreva, Maggiore, Tchaouna; Simy
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Gatti, Bremer, Danilo; Weah, McKennie, Nicolussi Caviglia, Rabiot, Kostic; Chiesa, Vlahovic
We say: Salernitana 0-3 Juventus
Overwhelming favourites to secure back-to-back wins over their hosts, Juventus are bound to take maximum points back to Turin on Sunday. Max Allegri's men have the bit between their teeth, and having established themselves as serious Scudetto contenders, they can now end the first half of the season with a flourish.
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Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
