After finally bagging their first victory in Serie A against Udinese last Sunday, Juventus are eying for their second as they host a Palermo side on Thursday still looking for its first win.
Winning against Udinese on Sunday was an important morale boost for Juve after the poor results they have been getting before that victory. However, this midweek another difficult task awaits them at Olympico Turin stadium as a team full of young talents, Palermo arrives.
Preparing for the match, Juve will be relying their attacking play through new signing Milos Krasic, who has been providing all the sparks for the Bianconeri in their last two league games. For the striking department, Vincenzo Iaquinta’s return will give them a good depth up front as the Italian international could even get the starting spot for the game.
Meanwhile, Palermo, which just suffered their third defeat in a row last Sunday against Inter Milan, will be hoping to reprise last season’s success of beating Juve twice, including a 2-0 victory at Olympico. In order to get a positive result against the home team, the Sicilian side will be relying on the brilliance of their young playmaker, Javier Pastore, who has been performing well this season despite his team’s current poor form.
Good news for Palermo is the latest news saying that their inspirational striker, Fabrizio Miccoli, could make it to Turin although he may start from the bench considering he is still finding his best shape. Aside from Miccoli, another player that has also started to train with the team is Romanian defender Dorin Goian, who has recovered from an injury.
In terms of absentees, Juventus are still troubled with some injury problems that hit their players, especially wing backs such as Paolo De Ceglie and new signing Armand Traore, who will be out for quite a while. Just as the match against Udinese, Juve will probably play Zdenek Grygera as a left back and he will definitely be tested a lot by Palermo’s explosive right back, Mattia Casani.
Prediction: Last season Juventus was beaten at home by Palermo; however considering the away team’s latest poor results this could be the Bianconeri’s best chance of getting the three points from their visitor. However should Miccoli be available to play, the home team should really have a close eye on the striker as he found the net often against them last season. Take Juve to win 2-1.
Odds: -140 for a Juventus win, +400 for a Palermo win and +250 for a draw
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