SPAL vs Juventus Preview: Where to Watch, Live Stream, Kick Off Time and Team News
SPAL will host Juventus at Stadio Paolo Mazza on Saturday, with La Vecchia Signora able to clinch their eighth title on the bounce with six games to spare.
Juventus have dominated the league this season with only a single defeat. They have a massive 84 points from 31 games and sit 20 points clear of second-placed Napoli.
At the other end of the table, SPAL need three points to avoid slipping into a relegation battle, with I Biancazzurri just four points above 18th placed Empoli. SPAL have had a relatively poor season with a huge 15 losses, the joint most for any side outside of the relegation zone.
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Here's everything you need to know ahead of Saturday's clash.
Where to Watch
When Is Kick Off? | Saturday 13 April |
What Time Is Kick Off? | 14:00 (GMT) |
Where is it Played? | Stadio Paolo Mazza |
TV Channel/Live Stream? | N/A |
Referee? | Daniele Doveri |
Team News
Juventus will likely rest Cristiano Ronaldo after his return from injury against Ajax. Ronaldo will likely be replaced by Paulo Dybala, who only made the bench on Wednesday.
Giorgio Chiellini was absent on Wednesday, due to injury. He is unlikely to be rushed back with the league all but won, so Daniele Rugani will likely start in his place.
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SPAL could be without Vasco Regini and Marko Jankovic, but Manuel Lazzari is available again after serving a one-match suspension.
Predicted Lineups
SPAL | Viviano; Cionek, Vicari, Bonifazi; Lazzari, Schiattarella, Missiroli, Kurtic, Fares; Antenucci, Petagna |
Juventus | Szczesny; De Sciglio, Bonucci, Rugani, Spinazzola; Bentancur, Can, Khedira; Dybala, Kean, Costa |
Head to Head Record
In 35 Serie A matches SPAL have only ever beaten Juventus once. I Bianconeri have won 22 of those games and 12 have finished as draws.
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Juventus won the reverse fixture of this tie 2-0 this season. Last season, one game ended in a draw, while Juve triumphed in the other with a 4-1 victory.
Recent Form
Juventus enter this tie in red hot form, winning four of their last five league matches, including an impressive comeback win over Milan.
Despite being 16th, SPAL are actually in reasonably good form. They've won three of their last five league games including impressive wins over Roma and Lazio.
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With both teams in decent form and Juve having one eye on the return leg against Ajax in the Champions League, an upset is a possibility if unlikely.
Here is how each team has performed in their last five matches.
SPAL | Juventus |
Cagliari 2-1 SPAL (7/4) | Juventus 2-1 AC Milan (6/4) |
SPAL 1-0 Lazio (3/4) | Cagliari 0-2 Juventus (2/4) |
Frosinone 0-1 SPAL (31/3) | Juventus 1-0 Emploi (30/3) |
SPAL 2-1 Roma (16/3) | Genoa 2-0 Juventus (17/3) |
Inter 2-0 SPAL (10/3) | Juventus 4-1 Udinese (8/3) |
Prediction
SPAL certainly need a good result more than Juventus and of course have no European football to distract them. Juve's only loss in the league this season came after their 3-0 comeback against Atletico Madrid, and this game presents another potential slip up.
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However, with a vastly superior squad even when rotating, Juve should still claim the win, just with less style and flair.
