05 May 2022
When Juventus collected three points last Sunday afternoon, all at the club knew that the competition for fourth place had been reduced to just one rival. Then, when Roma failed to defeat Bologna later that same evening, that one rival was also eliminated from the chase.
With three matches to spare at least fourth place in Serie A was secure, and with it qualification to next season's Champions League.
Now the pressure is off, so the team can travel to face Genoa with serenity in their hearts. That said, finishing the Serie A campaign in third place remains a target, which means taking the three points on offer tomorrow evening, no matter how motivated the opponents are.
It's going to be a tough encounter, we’re up against a team battling for their survival in a stadium that will be sold out. Massimiliano Allegri, Juventus Coach
On the injury front, the positive news is the return of Juan Cuadrado and Mattia De Sciglio, which increases the number of players available to face the Rossoblu.
Also adding to the competition for a starter's jersey, is the desire for some of the youngsters to display their full range of talent on the pitch and not only impressing on the training ground. One such player is Fabio Miretti, who earned the plaudits last weekend on his senior team start against Venezia. The 18-year-old not only impressed the fans and the press, but also the coach, as Massimiliano Allegri confirmed that Miretti will also start against Genoa.
Catch up on the coach's words from the press conference below.
The Grifone have proved to be easy prey for Juventus in recent years. Since 1992, the Bianconeri have won 24 of the 36 meetings, more than any other team over the same number of games, with the Genoese side conceding at least two goals in each of the last five encounters.
As if that weren’t enough, the last Serie A match in which Genoa found themselves two goals up to then go on and actually lose was against Juventus, at the Ferraris, on August 26, 2017. Paulo Dybala struck three times in a memorable 4-2 comeback, one of the five matches revisited here.
Dybala’s hat-trick that day in 2017 was added to by Caudrado. The same two players were on the scoresheet this season when the sides first met, in early December. A two-nil win also remembered by the fact that the Biaconeri did not face a shot on target for the first time in the top flight since records began.
In charge of the Rossoblu that day was Andriy Shevchenko, whose first stint in the Serie A dug-out lasted a total of 10 winless matches. The former Ukraine coach was replaced by another Serie A newcomer, Alexander Blessin, who started off with seven straight draws, five of which goalless, before collecting a first win, against Torino.
However, that success has been followed up by just one more victory, and four defeats have thrust Genoa deeper into the relegation mire with only nine points available. The dramatic derby loss last weekend made their escape mission that much harder. Click here for more on Genoa’s current form.
Important milestones can be set in these remaining matches, starting off at the Ferraris. All three of Alvaro Morata’s goals in 2022 have come against teams from Liguria in the form of Spezia and Sampdoria, the last two at Marassi. The striker requires two more to reach double figures and would become only the third Spaniard to do so in at least two different seasons.
Co-forward Dybala is only one away from equalling Roberto Baggio’s total of 115 goals and ninth place in the overall scoring charts at the Bianconeri, and in the process would become the fifth Argentine to reach double figures in at least six Serie A seasons.
After his double last weekend, Leonardo Bonucci took his season’s tally to five. The last Juventus defender to do better in a single campaign was Igor Tudor in 2000/01 with six.
Personal bests and a cup final starter’s shirt. The motivation to perform to the maximum against Genoa is not hard to find.
