Juventus are eyeing a place in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia as they play hosts to US Sassuolo at the Allianz Stadium on Thursday.
After a long international break, Juventus returned to action at the weekend, securing a promising 2-0 victory over Hellas Verona. The game witnessed two of their January signings in Denis Zakaria and Dusan Vlahovic score on their debuts, which could be a sign of good things to come for Massimiliano Allegri’s men.
Currently sitting in fourth place in Serie A, the Bianconeri will be served with a welcome distraction as they lock horns with Sassuolo in the Coppa Italia quarter-final. As the defending champions of the competition, the hosts are expected to ease their way into the semi-final, having hammered Sampdoria 4-1 in the previous round.
With the Serie A title out of sight, Allegri will be well aware of the fact that the Coppa Italia remains the only avenue for him to secure domestic silverware this season. The 54-year-old does have a strong pedigree in the competition, having notably won it four times in a row from 2015 to 2018, during his first spell at Juventus.
However, Juventus can expect strong resistance from a Sassuolo side that did get the better of the Bianconeri in Serie A earlier this season. Indeed, a heated affair in late October saw the visitors secure a 2-1 victory, with Maxime Lopez scoring a late winner.
Having reached the quarter-final stage for the first time in the club’s history, Sassuolo may not have a strong pedigree in the Coppa Italia. But they are certainly capable of pulling off a major upset yet again. Here at The Hard Tackle, we will take a closer look at these two sides ahead of their blockbuster encounter at the Allianz Stadium this midweek.
Team News & Tactics
Juventus
Massimiliano Allegri will be keen on advancing further in the Coppa Italia. As such, the Juventus coach could field a strong XI that will look to sweep aside Sassuolo at the Allianz Stadium this midweek.
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— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) February 8, 2022
Dusan Vlahovic remains a favourite to spearhead the Juventus frontline, but this time around, he is set to be partnered with Paulo Dybala and Moise Kean. The latter is expected to replace Alvaro Morata, who is likely to be rested by the coach in light of the congested fixture list that awaits Juventus in February.
In midfield, Manuel Locatelli is back in contention after serving a suspension. The Italian international is set to start against his former team Sassuolo, alongside the new signing Denis Zakaria and Arthur Melo. It will be interesting to see how the Brazilian fares alongside his new midfield partner after his move to Arsenal collapsed in late January.
Moving to defence, Giorgio Chiellini has joined the likes of Alex Sandro, Federico Chiesa and Federico Bernardeschi in the club’s list of absentees. Allegri has confirmed Leonardo Bonucci is set to start in central defence, accompanying Matthijs de Ligt at the heart of the four-man backline.
Juan Cuadrado and Luca Pellegrini are in contention to occupy the full-back slots at the expense of Danilo and Mattia De Sciglio. One last change in defence should see Mattia Perin replace Wojciech Szczesny in goal.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Perin; Cuadrado, de Ligt, Bonucci, Pellegrini; Locatelli, Zakaria, Arthur; Dybala, Vlahovic, Kean
Sassuolo
Sassuolo coach Alessio Dionisi will have his task cut out as he looks to contain the mighty Juventus attack that has been strengthened by the addition of Vlahovic. The 41-year-old will bank on the services of the central defensive duo of Gian Marco Ferrari and Kaan Ayhan, whereas Mert Muldur and Rogerio remain guaranteed starters out wide.
Mister Dionisi prima di #JuveSassuolo ?️
?️ «Raggiungere la semifinale sarebbe un sogno. Juventus favorita ma possiamo metterla in difficoltà»
? https://t.co/wG9nx5uY3P#CoppaItaliaFrecciarossa ?? #ForzaSasol pic.twitter.com/CqW9POvkW5
— U.S. Sassuolo (@SassuoloUS) February 9, 2022
Sassuolo are likely to operate in a 4-2-3-1 formation that could defend in deep in their half in order to restrict Vlahovic’s ability to make useful runs in behind the defence. At the same time, the visitors will rely on Muldur’s runs out wide, especially in counter-attacking instances.
Moving forward, there is no looking past Davide Frattesi and Maxime Lopez in central midfield. The two are set to form the double-pivot that will look to hinder Juventus’ ball progression. It will be equally important for them to retain possession and avoid conceding cheap turnovers.
Meanwhile, in the attack, Gregoire Defrel is poised to return to the starting XI. The former AS Roma forward will be hoping to utilise his experience and goalscoring prowess to cause problems for the Juventus defence this midweek.
Despite the injury of Filip Djuricic, Defrel won’t be lacking any creative support, as he could be partnered by the creative trifecta of Domenico Berardi, Giacomo Raspadori and Hamed Junior Traore.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pegolo; Muldur, Ayhan, Ferrari, Rogerio; Frattesi, Lopez; Berardi, Raspadori, Traore; Defrel
Key Stats
- This is the first meeting between Sassuolo and Juventus in the Coppa Italia. The two sides have never previously met each other in a competitive fixture outside the Serie A.
- Sassuolo’s 2-1 victory in late October was the club’s first win over Juventus since October 2015.
- Sassuolo have reached the quarter-final stage of the Coppa Italia for the first time in the club’s history.
- Juventus have won the Coppa Italia more times than any other team in Italy, with a total of 14 triumphs. Four of those have come under the leadership of Massimiliano Allegri.
- Juventus have never failed to score against Sassuolo in any of their 17 previous meetings in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Denis Zakaria
Another debutant with a goal ??Zakaria pic.twitter.com/nV12s6f05k
— ALLFOOTBALL (@AllFootball__) February 6, 2022
While all eyes will be on Dusan Vlahovic as he makes his second appearance for Juventus, one player that could certainly be key for the Bianconeri is Denis Zakaria. The former Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder joined the club on a deadline day deal as a direct replacement for Rodrigo Bentancur, who moved to Tottenham.
Like Vlahovic, Zakaria scored on his debut. However, the most interesting aspect of his performance was his overall impact in the middle of the park. Despite playing in his first game in the Serie A, the Swiss international looked like an upgrade over Bentancur, offering more dynamism and aggression in the second line of press while linking up with attackers in the final third.
This time around, Zakaria is set to accompany Locatelli, whose composed presence should offer even more freedom to the 25-year-old, ultimately adding a new dimension to the Juventus midfield.
Prediction
Juventus 3-1 Sassuolo
Thanks to some smart additions in the January transfer window, coupled with a promising win over Hellas Verona, Juventus are currently in high spirits. With the new arrivals already performing well, the Bianconeri remain firm favourites to come out on top and advance through to the next round of Coppa Italia.
However, one potential weakness for the home side could be their relatively vulnerable defensive unit that is bound to struggle in dealing with Sassuolo’s excellent creative department. To that end, we expect the opposition to score a goal or two, but it won’t be enough to outgun a Juventus side boasting a truly world-class offensive unit.
