Juventus will look to bounce back from a disastrous Champions League defeat in midweek as they face Como in a six-point tie in the Serie A top four on Saturday.
Luciano Spalletti’s side were on the verge of elimination from Europe’s elite competition after suffering a 5-2 defeat at Galatasaray in the first leg of their knockout play-off tie on Tuesday.
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Inter Milan suffered a controversial 3-2 defeat in the Italian Derby at the San Siro last weekend, and this embarrassing defeat in Istanbul only made matters worse.
Spalletti lost his tactical chess match with Christian Chivu largely due to a huge refereeing error. In fact, Federico Lapena sent off Pierre Kalulu on the stroke of half-time, failing to spot Alessandro Bastoni’s dive.
More importantly, the Nerazzurri center back dramatically fell to the ground and exaggerated physical contact, which affected La Pena’s decisive penalty and received a yellow card.
Kalulu’s sending off left Juventus on thin ice in the second half, but they fought tenaciously to the end, only for Piotr Zielinski’s wonderful mid-range shot to put all their efforts in vain.
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Now one point behind fourth-placed Roma, the record-breaking Italian champions cannot afford to make the same mistake again, especially considering visiting Como are only four points behind the Bianconeri heading into this round.
redemption time
The game is a must-win for Juventus, whose top-four hopes hang in the balance and need to get back to a good feeling after losing three of their last four games (a draw).
What worries Spalletti is his team’s poor performance, conceding at least three goals in each of these three defeats after keeping clean sheets in three of their previous four games.
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However, the Turin giants can take confidence from their formidable Serie A record at the Allianz Arena this season. They are one of only two teams yet to lose a home league match (7 wins, 5 draws).
It is worth noting that Juventus defeated Como 3-0 in this game last season.
There was no room for complacency, however, as they suffered a 2-0 defeat at the Stadio Giuseppe Siniagaglia in October, their first defeat in the league since 1952.
Surprise package
Fabregas has turned Como into a legitimate top-four contender, as evidenced by Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with title-chasing AC Milan, in which Nico Paez scored his ninth league goal of the season.
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Paz’s first-half heroics ultimately came to naught when Rafael Leao held the Rossoneri level, denying Lariani their first league win in three games (2 D1, L1) and leaving them five points behind Roma.
Considering they had won three consecutive away league games before the San Siro, being away from the comfort of home shouldn’t bother the visitors too much.
Adding to Como’s optimism, they have scored three goals in four of their last six away games, including a 3-0 win over Lazio in mid-January.
However, Cesc Fabregas’ side have developed a bad habit of being indecisive in the high-profile Serie A, failing to register a win in six away games against teams currently in the top eight this season (D3, L3).
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Team news
As well as the suspended Kalulu, Juventus will also be without their defensive cornerstone Grayson Bremer, who limped off the pitch on Tuesday, forcing Spalletti to bring in Federico Gatti.
Gatti is likely to take over from the Brazilian this weekend.
Meanwhile, the meeting comes too soon for the long-term absentees Arkadiusz Milik and Dusan Vlahovic, while Emile Holm also remains on the sidelines with a foot injury.
Out-of-form forward Jonathan David is expected to be used by Spalletti but is more likely to start from the bench, with Weston McKennie emerging as the favorite to lead the line.
How Juventus ranks
(3-4-2-1)： Di Gregorio; Gatti, Kelly, Kupmainas; Cambiasso, Locatelli, Thuram, Cabal; Conceição, Yildiz; McKennie
