Heading into the seventh round of fixtures in the Serie A 2022/23 season, Juventus and Monza face challenges to avoid adversities of different sorts.
The headline-makers of the summer transfer window, Monza have lost their identity, with Giovanni Stroppa getting the sack following a series of defeats in their maiden season in the Italian top flight. In charge of the management for the Serie A newbies, Raffaele Palladino’s club had their first draw against Lecce last week; however, their remain winless.
Misery is not completely anonymous to Juventus, with the Old Lady, understood to be title challengers ahead of the 2022/23 season, winning just two games thus far since the start of the season. They have not tasted the sweetness of victory in the last four games across all competitions.
Results in the last five matches in all competitions:
Monza: L-L-L-L-D
Juventus: W-D-L-D-L
Team News
Everyone’s eyes will be on the sideline, keenly observing the moves made by Monza’s new boss. Among the absentees, there are a few players, including Andrea Ranocchia, Marco D’Alessandro, and Andrea Carboni.
Juventus have multiple suspensions, including head coach Max Allegri, Juan Cuadrado, and Arek Milik. They were all dismissed in Bianconeri’s controversial 2-2 draw against Salernitana last weekend. Adrien Rabiot, Federico Chiesa, and Paul Pogba remain long-term absentees for Juve, who could field a 4-3-3 formation on Sunday to facilitate Angle Di Maria.
Predicted XIs
Monza (3-4-3): Di Gregorio; Marlon, Marí, Izzo; Birindelli, Rovella, Sensi, Carlos Augusto; Pessina, Mota, Caprari.
Juventus (4-3-3): Perin; Danilo, Gatti, Bremer, De Sciglio; McKennie, Paredes, Miretti; Di Maria, Vlahovic, Kostic.
Both teams will be eager to end their dry spell, potentially making the affair an intriguing one. It would be interesting to see how the change in formation and the return of Di Maria impact the Bianconeri’s performance.
GIFN | Jyotirmoy Halder