22 December 2017
JUVE GETTING CLOSE TO THE TOP
After going unbeaten with a clean sheet in their last four Serie A matches, Juventus find themselves in second place, just one point behind current leaders Napoli. Should The Old Lady triumph against the Giallorossi they could go top of the table, depending on Napoli's result against Sampdoria.
Last time out Juve recorded a 3-0 victory away to Bologna, with goals coming from Miralem Pjanic, Mario Mandzukic and Blaise Matuidi. The Bosnian got things underway with an expertly placed free-kick hitting the back of the net on the 27-minute mark. Mandzukic made it two less than 10 minutes later, as he got on the end of a chipped Pjanic through pass to volley past Antonio Mirante in the Bologna goal. The result was made secure in the second half, when Bologna failed to clear their lines properly and Matuidi volleyed home his first ever goal for the club.
GOOD START UNDER DI FRANCESCO
Roma currently find themselves in fourth place in the table, four points off top spot and with a game in hand. The team appears to have adapted well to the summer transition that saw Luciano Spalletti replaced with former player, Eusebio Di Francesco.
Di Francesco had made his name coaching Sassuolo prior, and managed to get the Neroverdi promoted to Serie A in 2013, before keeping them in the division and eventually qualifying them for the Europa League in 2016. His return to Roma has overseen some changes in the playing staff with the likes of Aleksandar Kolarov, Hector Moreno, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Rick Karsdorp and Patrik Schick arriving in the summer. Whilst at the other end Mohamed Salah and Leandro Paredes both departed in big money moves, with goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, having spent two seasons in the capital returning to Arsenal before being sold to Juventus.
The Giallorossi have made a good start to the season, winning 12 games to date, drawing twice and losing twice. They beat Cagliari at home 1-0 in their last match, and although the Sardinians played well and were able to frustrate their opponents, Roma managed to find a breakthrough, scoring a late goal in stoppage time through defender Federico Fazio.
LAST TIME VS ROMA
La Vecchia Signora locked horns with Roma this pre-season in Boston, Massachusetts. The two teams drew 1-1 in normal time at the Gillette Stadium, a first half goal by Mandzukic put Juve in front before Edin Dzeko levelled the scores in the second. The game went to penalties and saw Juve win 5-4, Douglas Costa getting the winner, after Roma’s Marco Tumminello fluffed his effort.
Turning to competitive action, last season saw a win and a defeat for both sides, as the Bianconeri also closed their calendar year at home to Roma. Gonzalo Higuain proved to be the difference, scoring a spectacular goal at the Allianz after 14 minutes, to win the game 1-0.
Meanwhile, Juve travelled to Rome on the third to last matchday, and managed to open the scoring though Mario Lemina. However, that was to be as good as it got for Juve as Roma equalised just four minutes later via Daniele De Rossi. Stephan El Shaarawy made it two in the second half, before the Giallorossi went on to score a third thanks to Radja Nainggolan to win the game 3-1.
#JUVEROMA MATCH STATS
- In 166 Serie A matches vs Roma, Juventus have won 79, drawn 48 and lost 39.* Juve have scored in 23 of the last 24 matches against the Giallorossi. Juventus have won every game against Roma at the Allianz Stadium (Six). After collecting 38 points from 16 games, Roma have only ever fared better in the 2003/04 season when they had 39 points. 13 different players have scored for La Vecchia Signora this season, the most in the league. Roma are the only team that haven’t conceded a goal outside the area so far, Juve have scored nine, the most in the league. Edin Dzeko has hit the woodwork four times in Serie A, more than any other player. Massimiliano Allegri and Eusebio Di Francesco have faced each other eight times, with Allegri winning five, two draws a-piece, and one Di Francesco win. The Giallorossi have picked up the least amount of bookings (19) this season. Edin Dzeko (78) and Paulo Dybala (69) have had the most shots in Serie A.**
