Prediction: Juventus vs Parma

Verdict: Total goals under 3.5

Best odds: 4/6

Bookmaker: bet365

Juventus are set to welcome Parma to the Allianz Stadium on Sunday evening when the two teams do battle for points in the 20th round of this season’s Serie A roller coaster, with different goals set for their respective campaigns.

Juventus

The champions are, naturally, fighting to defend their title and there can be no opponent in the league against which any other result but a win is good enough, especially on home soil. Having won the title every year since 2012, it’s not really surprising to see them at the top of the table, where they currently reside with at total of 48 points from the previous 19 games, two more than Inter Milan in second place and six more than Lazio in third.

Their team is built to shoot for the stars, and after so many years of domestic domination they’re hoping to finally get their hands on the Champions League trophy this season. It has eluded them so far, ever since the 1996 triumph, though they reached the final twice in recent years; in 2015 they were beaten by Barcelona, and two years later by Real Madrid.

With the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala upfront, and having signed young Matthijs de Ligt ahead of fierce competition to complement their vastly experienced back line, there can be no doubt that the Old Lady are a very formidable team at the moment. They enter this match on the back of four consecutive league wins.

Team News

Head coach Maurizio Sarri won’t be able to count on defenders Giorgio Chiellini, Mattia De Sciglio and Merih Demiral. Demiral is out for the rest of the season with a knee ligament injury. Midfielder Sami Khedira is also out injured, while Rodrigo Bentacur is suspended.

Parma

Having struggled greatly in recent years, Parma aren’t doing too bad at the moment. They are lodged in seventh place with 28 points to their name, one less than AS Roma in sixth and one more than Cagliari in eighth.

The club were declared bankrupt and re-founded in Serie D in 2015. They achieved three consecutive promotion to return to the top flight, and the 14th place they finished in last season was certainly a huge success as they secured another year among the elite. Reaching Europe would be a truly remarkable feat, and it seems well within their capabilities at this point.

This term started very well for them, with two wins from the opening two rounds, but then Juventus came to their stadium of Ennio Tardini and took all the points, courtesy of a single strike by Chiellini in the first half. They go to Turin after two wins, two defeats and a draw from their last five games.

Team News

Parma agreed to sell defender Dejan Kulusevski to Juventus a few days ago with Juventus loaning him straight back for the rest of the season. Nonetheless, the 19-year-old is unlikely to play against his now parent club on Sunday. Coach Roberto D’Aversa won’t have forward Yann Karamoh at his disposal, but midfielder Alberto Grassi should be back, having overcome a back problem.

Conclusion

Despite all the good work they’ve done this season, it’s hard to imagine Parma getting anything in terms of points away to this Juventus team. It’s fair to assume they won’t be too bothered unless they lose heavily, but they do seem capable of avoiding such a fate. A Juventus win on a narrow margin is probably the likeliest outcome.

Verdict: Total goals under 3.5

Best odds: 4/6

Bookmaker: bet365