19 February 2021
Juventus-Crotone has a history of recent comparisons, with all of them being in clear favour of the Lady. The photo above shows the duel in midfield between Blaise Matuidi and the Swede Marcus Rhodén in the last match, that of 2017-18. That tie was the only fixture in which the guests managed to finish off the first half without having conceding a goal against the Bianconeri, only to be overwhelmed in the second half by three goals, confirming a trend outlined in previous matches.
DYBALA VS CECCHERINI
2017-18, Juventus-Crotone, Dybala comes into this game off the back of having scored in the previous game with Sampdoria. It is not surprising, therefore, that Federico Ceccherini also used strong methods in order to contain his counterpart, especially when away from the penalty area because it's one of those evenings where Paulo was in a highly creative mood. Before and after this match, the defender played at the Allianz Stadium with other clubs: Livorno, Fiorentina and Verona.
MARCHISIO VS TONEV
Of the three Juventus-Crotone matches at the Allianz, the one in the middle is warmly remembered because the victory determines the conquest of the 35th Scudetto. It was a match where Mandzukic-Dybala had already got off the mark, while Marchisio was in excellent form, pulling off play after play. In the photo you can see the Bulgarian Aleksandar Tonev from behind, who had had better luck at the Stadium the previous year, when he managed to snatch a draw with Frosinone.
BONUCCI VS FERRARI
Two defenders facing off against each other. Bonucci advanced, Gian Marco Ferrari tried to contain him. On the day of the Bianconeri party, the two competed for the first time on this field, in a competition where Leo pulled off well timed passes. They had also previously faced each other in that season in Juventus-Sassuolo, a challenge that saw the Bianconeri win 3-1.
BALZARETTI VS SEDIVEC
Juventus-Crotone in 2007 was a worry-free match for the Bianconeri. The final 5-0 certifies it: one of the goals, the second, came from Federico Balzaretti. In the game of roles, he was the one controlling attacking winger, Jaroslav Sedivec. In reality, it was the Czech player who tried to counter Balza's advances in vain.
DEL PIERO VS GIAMPAOLO
This was a battle of two contrasting No.10s and it was a match where the one dressed in black and white scored a hat-trick! But the meeting between the two was not limited only to this match: Alessandro Del Piero and Federico Giampaolo, brother of the coach Marco, were actually teammates for a short while. This took place in Villar Perosa's friendly match in 1993: Alex had just arrived from Padua, while Federico, formerly of the Juventus Primavera, was passing through Juventus, upon returning from an experience in Verona before signing for Palermo. Trapattoni fielded them in the second half: Del Piero took over from Roberto Baggio, while Giampaolo took the place of Moeller.
