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Juventus logo
Serie A
Apr 29, 2015 at 7.45pm UK
 
Fiorentina logo

3-2

Llorente (36'), Tevez (45', 70')
FT(HT: 2-1)
Rodriguez (33' pen.), Ilicic (90')

Preview: Juventus vs. Fiorentina

Sports Mole looks ahead to this week's Serie A match between Juventus and Fiorentina in Turin.

Juventus could win the Serie A title for the fourth year running if they beat Fiorentina when the two teams clash in Turin on Wednesday evening.

Should Lazio fail to claim all three points in their match against Parma, then the Bianconeri will be crowned champions with a victory, but their opponents are also looking for valuable points in their bid to reach the Champions League.



Juventus

AC Milan head coach Massimiliano Allegri reacts during the Serie A match between AC Milan and ACF Fiorentina at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on November 2, 2013© Getty Images

A 31st league title is within touching distance for Juventus and if results go their way then they will be celebrating on Wednesday evening.

They need to pick up a win against Fiorentina and hope that Lazio fail to beat Parma at home. It does not seem out of the question, given that Lazio were held to a draw by Chievo at the Stadio Olimpico at the weekend, while Parma claimed a 1-0 victory over Palermo to earn their third win in five games.

Even if Juventus don't manage to win the Scuedetto this week, it is surely only a matter of time until they are crowned champions once again and with a Coppa Italia final to come and a Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, they are still very much on for a remarkable treble.

Despite their dominant position at the top of the table, they have stuttered in the league recently and have lost two of their previous three matches, with the latest of those coming against city rivals Torino on Sunday afternoon.

The Bianconeri had taken the lead thanks to a trademark free kick from Andrea Pirlo, but goals from Matteo Darmian and former Juventus striker Fabio Quagliarella earned Torino a 2-1 victory and their first win in the Turin derby for over 20 years.

Massimiliano Allegri did make a number of changes to his side, with the likes of Giorgio Chiellini, Carlos Tevez and Andrea Barzagli named on the bench, but they should all return to the starting lineup to face the Viola with so much at stake.

Recent form in Serie A: WWWLWL
Recent form (all competitions): WLWWDL



Fiorentina

Fiorentina head coach Vincenzo Montella shouts instructions to his players during the Serie A match between AC Siena and ACF Fiorentina at Stadio Artemio Franchi on May 8, 2013© Getty Images

At the beginning of the month Fiorentina were in fine form and a 2-0 victory over Sampdoria had boosted their hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League.

However, they have lost their three previous games in the league and it has seen them drop down to sixth place; they are now eight points away from third-placed Roma.

Their immediate concern now must be ensuring at least a top-six finish, as Genoa and Torino have closed to within two points of them in the table, with Inter Milan also hoping to punish them for any more mistakes.

Vincenzo Montella will be particularly disappointed at their performance at the weekend, as they suffered a 3-1 defeat against relegation-threatened Cagliari. It was their second successive home defeat, as they were beaten by Hellas Verona last Monday despite dominating virtually the entire match.

It is not all doom and gloom for Fiorentina, as they are in the semi-finals of the Europa League following their victory over Dynamo Kiev and they will now face holders Sevilla for the chance to play in next month's final.

Recent form in Serie A: WDWLLL
Recent form (all competitions): LLDLWD



Team News

Juventus Argentinian foward Carlos Tevez celebrates after scoring during the Serie A match AC Milan against Juventus, on September 20, 2014© Getty Images

Tevez will be expected to start for Juventus, while Claudio Marchisio is available after serving a ban at the weekend.

Chiellini is also likely to be restored to the defence, as Leonardo Bonucci misses out through suspension.

Patrice Evra missed the Turin derby with a hip injury, and if he is unable to recover in time then Simone Padoin will once again fill in down the left flank.

Fiorentina are without Khouma Babacar, who picked up a knee injury last week against Verona and will not play again this season.

Montella could make a number of changes to his side, with first-team regulars Gonzalo Rodriguez, Mario Gomez and Joaquin expected to return to the starting lineup.

Juventus possible starting lineup:
Buffon, Lichtsteiner, Chiellini, Barzagli, Padoin, Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, Pereyra, Tevez, Morata

Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
Neto, Rodriguez, Savic, Alonso, Tomovic, Badelj, Fernandez, Valero, Joaquin, Gomez, Salah



Head To Head

These teams recently played each other in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia, and Fiorentina won the first leg of that tie 2-1 in Turin thanks to a double from Mohamed Salah.

However, the Viola were unable to hang on to their advantage in the return meeting, as Juventus ran out 3-0 winners to set up a final against Lazio.

Juventus have the better record of the teams in the last few years, having lost just two of their previous 13 meetings.


Sports Mole Logo

We say: Juventus 2-0 Fiorentina

Juventus will have been disappointed to have lost the derby against Torino at the weekend, but with the title up for grabs they will be desperate to beat Fiorentina. They are expected to welcome back a number of their best players and with the visitors in poor form, we think that they will end up claiming all the points.



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Written by
Alex Meyers
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Alessandro Matri #32 of Juventus FC celebrates after scoring a goal during the TIM cup match between ACF Fiorentina and Juventus FC at Artemio Franchi on April 7, 2015
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