Scudetto holders Juventus travel to Sardinia this weekend to face off against fifteenth placed Cagliari. Max Allegri will be hoping for an improved performance after his team’s mediocre win over Crotone during the midweek. He could return many of his regular starters who were rested in midweek and will be hoping to witness a rejuvenated mentality seeing that his team are approaching their Champions League game against Porto. 

 

Cagliari meanwhile, go into the match off a mix of both positive and negative results. Coach Massimo Rastelli needs to motivate his team to take intelligent risks, but the Islanders must also play with more consistency. Cagliari’s inability to gain points in back to back matches is holding them back from making a push into the upper half of the table. 

 

Luckily for Rastelli, his side are enjoying a fine season at home and the opposite is true for Juventus who have already lost four on the road this term. Two ex-Juventus players Mauricio Isla and Marco Borriello are likely to line up against their former employers. THe latter remains a threat for the hosts after grabbing 10 goals already this season. Barella and Sau are also reference points for the Cagliari attack, though one of them will likely start from the bench. 

 

Isla is poised to line up with former Torino player Tachtsidis and Dessena in midfield. Rastelli will want to play a tight tactical contest, knowing a goal on the break could shift the energy of the match to the home side.  

 

Following Allegri’s switch to the 4-2-3-1 certain Juventus players seem to be flourishing. In particular, Mandzukic and Cuadrado, who are both, playing to their full potential. The duo creates the perfect contrast to the skilled Dybala with a combination of work rate and attacking flair. 

 

Behind them Sami Khedira is enjoying some of the best form of his career. He and Pjanic are stalwarts in the midfield, with the Bosnian providing many of the shining moments between the defence and attack. Both Bonucci and Chiellini are back to their top form as well, vocal leaders who are tough tackling with relentless energy. 

 

Juventus are looking to continue their winning ways. The midweek victory over Crotone showed that they can get results even when not playing particularly flowing football. The have the individual players that can make a difference. But they will need to be rested, some of them have played in five or more matches in a row. 

 

Should they have any chance of doing well against Porto, they will need to find a balance between fitness and fatigue. Allegri’s challenge is how he manages his players in the next two weeks both for form and fitness yet still gain three points from every match. 

Probable starting line-ups:
 


David Baleno