26 November 2016
Meetings at the Marassi
Sunday’s will be the 50th time that Juventus have played away to Genoa and they hold a slender advantage in their opponents’ backyard with 21 wins to the Rossoblu’s 17 (11 draws).
Juve’s last outing against Genoa represented their first league victory of the 2015/16 season on only Matchday Four courtesy of keeper Eugenio Lamanna’s own goal before Paul Pogba’s second-half strike sealed the spoils.
The Rossoblu won this fixture the previous season in October 2014 in what remains just one of two triumphs over the Bianconeri in their last 25 meetings in total.
Goals have been particularly hard to come by for the hosts in recent seasons at home to Juventus, scoring just twice in the last six of these matches in contrast to the visitors’ eight.
Difference in draws
Like Juventus, Genoa remain unbeaten in front of their own fans this season. The main difference lies in that they’ve drawn the majority of these games (four out of six).
When on their game, the Rossoblu can be a force to be reckoned with, especially at the Marrassi, where they blew away Milan 3-0 only a month ago as well as holding Napoli to a goalless stalemate earlier in the campaign.
Juventus, meanwhile, do not appear to know the meaning of picking up a single point, at least in the league. After registering 11 wins and two defeats from their first 13 games, they remain the only Serie A side without a draw this season.
A tale of two Leo’s
The Bianconeri boast the best backline in the league having only conceded nine goals this term – a statistic that also owes itself to the solid organisation of the entire team, not to mention the heart-stopping saves of Gigi Buffon.
On top of all that, Juve can count upon the all-round qualities of no other than Leonardo Bonucci. While knowing when to be no nonsense in defence – he tops his team’s charts for blocks (5) and clearances (35) – the 29-year-old is brilliant with the ball at his feet and also has an eye for goal, as demonstrated yet again with a crucial strike away to Sevilla.
Another man enjoying something of a purple patch of late is Mario Mandzukic, who netted his fourth goal in five outings on Tuesday night.
Moving matters south to Liguria, Genoa’s leading marksman this term is Leonardo Pavoletti with three goals. The towering striker, who was sidelined for a month through injury between September and October, has a knack of taking up dangerous positions on the pitch and has helped himself to a team-high 13 shots on target this term.
Meanwhile at the back, it’s Nicolas Burdisso who stands out above the rest. The veteran defender has made a team-high 66 clearances, 31 interceptions and four blocks so far in 2016/17.
