Having coming up short in the Supercoppa Italiana  just two weeks ago, Juventus coach Max Allegri will want to start the new year on the right foot as his side host Bologna this Sunday.  In the coming days he will not only have to deal with the normal media attention, but also the extra barrage of questions and implications of who and what the squad needs to improve on. Throughout January the media pressure will grow thick, with expectations already high for the the five consecutive Scudetti holders to compete to win every match. With this in mind, the Juventus players will be reminded repeatedly of their missed opportunity in the Supercoppa and will be focused to get back on track to regain the form that has taken them to 42 points after 17 matches.

 

Allegri will be looking to continue Juve’s home success; the bianconeri are still to drop a point in a Serie A match so far this season at the J Stadium. Goalkeeper Gigi Buffon is doubtful after suffering from flu and the hosts remain without their first choice right and left backs, as Alex Sandro and Dani Alves continue their recuperation after injury. Patrice Evra and Stephan Lichtsteiner will fill those roles respectively. The bigger questions arrive in Allegri’s midfield selection. Will the newly acquired Tomas Rincon be slotted into a starting role right away, forcing the less technical Stefano Sturaro into a substitute role? Furthermore, what decisions will be made among the three forwards? With Paulo Dybala returning to form and regaining full fitness, can he move ahead of the in-form Mario Mandzukic in Allegri’s starting XI alongside Gonzalo Higuain? Regardless of formation or line-up, Bianconeri faithful will expect a strong showing after their failure in Qatar. 

 

Coming out of the winter break, Roberto Donadoni will look to capitalise on the potential for a lull in form from Juve following the holidays. With that very thought in mind, he will encourage his team to be fearless and brave and take advantage of an opportunity to start their own new year with a quality performance. Bologna have not enjoyed a particularly consistent run of form, and have not managed to put together back to back wins so far this season.



They face an uphill battle as they visit the J Stadium, where like so many other teams, they have yet to win. The Rossoblu will line up with a midfield trio of youngsters; Federico Viviani and Adam Nagy will play alongside the experienced Blerim Dzemaili. In attack, Umar Sadiq remains out through injury, thus Donadoni will look to wingers Ladislav Krejci and Luca Rizzo to provide service for centre- forward Mattia Destro. Bologna will aim for a fiercely contested battle by paying keen attention to detail and defending every space on the pitch, poised to take advantage of mistakes.

Probable starting line-ups:

 

Juventus (4-3-1-2): Neto; Lichsteiner, Barzagli, Chiellini, Evra; Khedira, Marchisio, Rincon; Pjanic; Dybala, Higuain 

 

Bologna (4-3-3): Mirante; Torosidis, Maietta, Gastaldello, Masina; Nagy, Viviani, Dzemaili; Rizzo, Destro, Krejci