After recent events on and off the pitch put a halt to hopes of a Scudetto challenge, Juventus turn their thoughts to knockout competition on Thursday, when they host Lazio in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.
Having suffered a huge points penalty and also won just one of their last four matches, Juve are in crisis; meanwhile, their visitors have gone unbeaten in five and are targeting silverware in addition to a top-four finish.
Match preview
© Reuters
Still shaken by their dramatic points deduction, which was recently doled out by the FIGC (Italian Football Federation), Juventus were also thrashed by former title rivals Napoli and lost for the second time this season to promoted Monza in a terrible month at the Turin club.
Occupying an unaccustomed 13th place in the table after Sunday's home defeat to the Biancorossi, Max Allegri's men are now 14 points adrift of the top six and even languish behind city rivals Torino. Indeed, Serie A debutants Monza overtook them too, by winning 2-0 at the Allianz Stadium thanks to two unanswered first-half strikes.
Also set to enter the Europa League knockout stages with a tie against Nantes - they ignominiously exited the Champions League at its group stage - Juve's only hope of salvaging some pride from a chaotic campaign could therefore come in the cups.
The 14-time Coppa Italia winners cleared their first hurdle in this year's competition by beating league conquerors Monza 2-1 at home, as Federico Chiesa scored his first goal since a lengthy injury layoff to secure a place in the quarter-finals.
Now, Juventus - who lost to old foes Inter Milan in the 2022 final - will be keen to give their disgruntled supporters something to cheer about on Thursday, when they can set up a semi versus either Inter or Atalanta by defying recent form to beat Lazio.
They may have emerged 3-0 winners when the teams last met in Serie A - with Moise Kean twice on the scoresheet back in November - but much has changed since then.
© Reuters
Though comprehensively defeated in that skirmish earlier this season, former Juve coach Maurizio Sarri seems set to win the war, as the last man to guide the Old Lady to the title has been getting the best out of his Lazio squad.
Though they just failed to record four straight wins last time out - as Nicolas Gonzalez cancelled out Nicolo Casale's first-ever Serie A strike to earn Fiorentina a 1-1 draw in Rome - the Biancocelesti sit 15 points above Juventus in the standings and are in contention for a return to Calcio's top four.
Having battered stumbling Scudetto-holders Milan last week, they now aim to build on a growing sense of momentum under Sarri, and the cup competitions offer fresh opportunities for success during February.
Like Juve, their involvement in Europe earned Lazio a bye through to the Coppa's last 16, and they edged past Bologna at that stage thanks to Felipe Anderson's first-half goal.
Soon to tackle CFR Cluj in the Europa Conference League, the capital club will now aim to end a frustrating sequence in the domestic cup quarter-finals this week: though they have lifted the Coppa Italia six times in the last 25 years, their most recent triumph came in 2019 and they have lost in the last eight of all three editions since.
Team News
© Reuters
While a fair share of gloom surrounds the club at present, Juventus were at least able to welcome back Paul Pogba and Dusan Vlahovic to the first-team squad on Sunday, and after the latter featured in an unsuccessful second-half cameo against Monza, he should be involved again.
Captain Leonardo Bonucci recently rejoined full training too, but is not expected to return just yet, and Arkadiusz Milik has been ruled out until March by a thigh injury. Further reducing Max Allegri's options, Weston McKennie has joined Leeds United on loan.
Mattia De Sciglio made his return to the first XI at the weekend, though, and 2021 cup final match-winner Federico Chiesa could overcome a thigh problem to play some part.
Given such a significant number of fitness concerns, Allegri will most likely turn to youngsters such as Nicolo Fagioli, Matias Soule and Samuel Iling-Junior, plus regular cup goalkeeper Mattia Perin.
Lazio, meanwhile, will have skipper Ciro Immobile at their disposal on Thursday, after the prolific forward recovered from injury to make an appearance from the bench against Fiorentina; regular right-back Manuel Lazzari also featured as a substitute and could now start. Recent arrival Luca Pellegrini, a former Juventus player, will also be involved.
Matias Vecino and Patric are in contention for a return to Maurizio Sarri's starting side as well, though the visitors' squad rotation may be limited as they next play on Monday evening and have plenty of time to recover.
Up front, Pedro should therefore join Felipe Anderson and either Mattia Zaccagni or Immobile in a potent attacking triumvirate.
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Perin; Danilo, Bremer, Sandro; Cuadrado, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Chiesa, Vlahovic
Lazio possible starting lineup:
Provedel; Lazzari, Patric, Casale, Hysaj; Milinkovic-Savic, Cataldi, Vecino; Pedro, Immobile, Anderson
We say: Juventus 0-1 Lazio
While Lazio have kept 11 clean sheets in the first half of a Serie A season for the first time in 50 years, Juventus have not lost once at home in the Coppa Italia for 18 games. A cagey battle between the clashing styles of Sarri and Allegri could be in store, then, and the Old Lady's former boss may heap more misery on his old employers and leave Turin with the prize of a semi-final place.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
