The first heavyweight clash of the Serie A season will take place this weekend, as Italian champions Juventus visit Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.

The Bianconeri suffered a shock defeat in their opening league match against Udinese, while Rudi Garcia's side came from behind to earn a draw at Hellas Verona.

Roma

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Roma are seen by many as the biggest threat to Juventus's dominance over Italian football, but they cracked under the pressure last season and saw their hopes of winning the title fade before the end of January.

They managed to put together a strong run of four wins from six games in the final month of the campaign to seal a place in the Champions League, but there was still an air of disappointment around the Stadio Olimpico.

Rudi Garcia will be hoping that his team can get closer to Juventus this campaign, after finishing 17 points behind the Old Lady for the past two seasons, and he has made a number of new additions to his playing squad, with the likes of Edin Dzeko, Mohamed Salah and Iago Falque brought in to bolster their attack.

In the past 10 days the Giallorossi have also made a number of defensive signings, as Antonio Rudiger, Norbert Gyomber and Lucas Digne have all joined.

However, despite the changes made by the club, they started their season with a 1-1 draw at Verona. Bosko Jankovic had given the Gialloblu the lead, but five minutes later Alessandro Florenzi fired in to earn his side a point.

They created numerous chances to score a second late on, but despite having 20 efforts on goal, they could not force a late winner. It was a familiar result for supporters of the club, as their team drew 13 games in the league last season, which was the highest of any club in the top six.

Many of Roma's problems last term also came at home, as they went on a frustrating spell between December and March without winning any of their league games at the Stadio Olimpico.

Recent form: D

Juventus

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Having romped to the Serie A title for the past four seasons, the major favourite to win the league this campaign is once again Juventus.

The Bianconeri brushed aside all of their rivals with ease last season on the way to a domestic double, and they also enjoyed a run to the Champions League final, which culminated in a defeat to Barcelona.

Despite losing key personnel over the summer, including Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez, the general consensus is that the Scudetto is theirs to lose, and they opened their campaign last weekend with a clash against Udinese.

Things do not go according to plan, though, as a late strike from Cyril Thereau condemned them to a shock 1-0 defeat in Turin.

Massimiliano Allegri's side had gone the past two seasons without suffering a home league defeat, in a run that stretched to 47 games.

The result has left many of their rivals sensing that the title race could be a much more open affair this season, but Allegri has refused to panic and has said that he expects his team to bounce back quickly.

Recent form: L

Team News

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Roma will have Maicon available for this weekend's match after the Brazilian's return to training.

Florenzi, who has been covering at right-back, is expected to play in a more advanced role in support of Dzeko and Salah.

The club have also signed Digne from Paris Saint-Germain, but Vasilis Torosidis could keep his place at left-back.

Meanwhile, Juventus will welcome Alvaro Morata back to their starting lineup, after the striker missed last week's game against Udinese.

Alex Sandro is in contention to make his debut following his recent move from Porto, but Claudio Marchisio is still ruled out with a thigh injury.

Roma possible starting lineup:
Szczesny, Maicon, Manolas, Castan, Torosidis, Pjanic, De Rossi, Nainggolan, Salah, Florenzi, Dzeko

Juventus possible starting lineup:
Buffon, Lichtsteiner, Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini, Evra, Sturaro, Pogba, Pereyra, Morata, Mandzukic

Head To Head

These teams last met in March when a late header from Seydou Keita cancelled out a Tevez free kick to earn Roma a 1-1 draw.

There was also plenty of excitement in the reverse fixture, as Leonardo Bonucci crashed in a late volley to give Juventus a 3-2 win under controversial circumstances in Turin.

Overall, it is Juventus who possess the better record between the teams, as they have lost just four of the past 21 meetings against their opponents.

We say: Roma 1-1 Juventus

There has been a wealth of drama in recent meetings between these teams and it is expected to be another heated affair in Rome. Juventus will be under added pressure to get off the mark following their defeat last weekend, but Roma are also expected to perform this season and provide a genuine title threat. Although the Bianconeri have had a lot of joy at the Stadio Olimpico, we think that the match will end all square, with both teams claiming a point.

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