18 November 2016
When zebra meets dolphin
Juventus and Pescara share the common trait of being represented by rather exotic animals and it is the zebra who has the upper hand in this particular duel, the Bianconeri winning eight and drawing two of the teams’ 12 previous encounters.
That win percentage increases further when focusing solely on the matches played in Turin: five victories and one draw in six outings.
Pescara do, however, have a habit of finding the net in this fixture, having scored in each of their last four away games against Juventus, who also happen to be the team they have registered the most goals against in Serie A (13).
Season showings
It’s safe to say that Juventus have been quick out of the blocks this season and there’s a couple of striking statistics to prove it.
No other team in Europe’s five major leagues has won their first 10 matches of the current campaign, nor hit the 30-point mark yet (Nice are the closest with 29).
The Bianconeri can also count upon genuine home comforts this weekend, having only picked up victories in Serie A at Juventus Stadium over the last 13 months and more. Their 22 consecutive home league wins represents the longest active streak in the continent’s top five divisions.
By contrast, Pescara have equalled their worst start to a top-flight campaign (in the 1992/93 season), picking up just seven points from their first 12 games and a solitary win courtesy of Sassuolo fielding an ineligible player in their meeting back in August.
Since then, they’ve only picked up one point on the road (away to Genoa), losing five of their last six games in total.
Men worth monitoring
Mario Mandzukic followed up his strike against Chievo a fortnight ago with the opening goal in an international friendly for Croatia against Northern Ireland on Tuesday.
With Paulo Dybala sidelined for the next few weeks, the Bianconeri will be counting on Mario and top scorer Gonzalo Higuain to maintain their hot scoring streaks.
Pescara’s main man up front is Rey Manaj, despite playing six of his nine matches this term as a substitute. The 19-year-old, midway through a season-long loan from Inter, has two goals to his name.
Meanwhile at the back, Hugo Campagnaro boasts the best statistics, having made a team-high 45 defensive blocks and 26 interceptions.
