Juventus vs Atalanta expected lineup and match prediction
With Cristiano Ronaldo out of the squad, Juventus will have to look elsewhere for someone to lead the attack on the field this Saturday. Luckily, they have Paulo Dybala who came off the bench against AC Milan for an injured Ronaldo and scored the winning goal.
Though Juventus currently sit on top of the Serie A table, they have been far from spectacular this season, especially in front of goal. When compared to the other major clubs in Europe, Juventus are seriously lagging in the goal department, which may cause them serious problems in the UEFA Champions League.
These problems are illustrated best by their upcoming fixture against Atalanta. Despite being 10 points ahead of Atalanta, they have scored only 20 goals compared to Atalanta's handsome tally of 30 goals. This, however, has been compensated by solid defence, with Juventus having conceded only nine league goals, the fewest in Serie A.
This record will be tested on Saturday, however, as Atalanta have scored the most goals so far this season in Serie A and with them competing for Champions League football next season, Juventus should expect a tough match tomorrow.
The fixture has 'close contest' written all over it and though Juventus are currently top of the table, it is by just a single point so anything other than a victory for the Turin club could be very risky indeed.
Unfortunately for Juventus, Ronaldo is not their only absentee through injury as Adrien Rabiot, Giorgio Chiellini, and Alex Sandro are all out with injury as well. On the other hand, Atalanta is currently blessed with an injury-free team which undoubtedly boosts their chances of getting a good result.
Nevertheless, we predict that it will be Juventus who will ultimately win the fixture against Atalanta but it will probably be by a small margin.
Probable Lineups:
(Juventus) 4-3-1-2: Szczesny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, De Sciglio; Khedira, Pjanic, Matuidi; Ramsey; Dybala, Higuain.
(Atalanta) 3-4-2-1: Gollini; Toloi, Palomino, Masiello; Hateboer, De Roon, Freuler, Gosens; Pasalic, Gomez; Muriel.
Prediction: 2-1 to Juventus.
Also check out: Seria A table Champions League Schedule Champions League table