Verdict: Cristiano Ronaldo to Score Anytime
Best Odds: 9/10
Bookmaker: 888sport
The only remaining unbeaten side in Europe’s top five leagues Juventus travel to Sassuolo on Sunday evening for what is expected to be a tough test for Massimiliano Allegri’s men.
Sassuolo
Unbeaten in last three Serie A matches, Sassuolo welcome reigning champions Juventus sitting in 11th place in the standings. Despite their positive stretch, the hosts have struggled to close down matches of late and appear to have suffered a dip in form.
Just one win in last eight home games offers more substance to such a claim and provides valuable insight ahead of the Juventus test. Making it even worse, from the statistical point of view at least, there is a six-game losing streak against Bianconeri. Sassuolo have won only one of the last 10 encounters against the Serie A giants and will find it extremely difficult to remain unbeaten on Sunday. Only one Serie A team conceded more goals at home than Sassuolo and that is just another piece of statistical data indicating that hosts are in for a beating against the champions-elect.
Team News
Marlon has been suffering from a muscle injury and is unlikely to feature against Juventus.
Young Denmark forward Jens Odgaard has been unavailable since December while Leonardo Sernicola has yet to play his first minutes for Sassuolo.
Juventus
Defending champions Juventus are enjoying a comfortable nine-point cushion at the Serie A summit. Looking shoo-in to lift another domestic trophy and extend their Italian dominance, Bianconeri are slowly shifting their focus to the Champions League which could be the reason they dropped points – and suffered a Coppa Italia defeat – of late.
Atalanta gave Juventus a 3-0 Cup beating late in January while Bianconeri went on to suffer yet another disappointment last time out. The champions-elect dropped their guard for one second which was more than enough to concede the 93rd-minute goal and suffer a pulsating 3-3 draw against Parma last week. Juventus only dropped league points in three matches this season but two of those came within their last five games. Cristiano Ronaldo is once again the man to watch as the Portuguese is widely expected to continue his goalscoring run. Former Real Madrid superstar has 17 Serie A goals on his tally, whereas he also netted in eight successive away matches.
Team News
Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini all add to Allegri’s headache ahead of the trip to Sassuolo.
Caceres, Rugani and Spinazola are likely to start yet another game as Juan Cuadrado is another name of the injury list.
Key Factors to Consider
- Sassuolo lost six straight games against Juventus
- Bianconeri only dropped points in three Serie A matches this season
- Juventus remain the only unbeaten team across Europe’s top 5 leagues
- Cristiano Ronaldo scored 17 Serie A goals already
- Juventus only conceded 15 league goals during the entire campaign
Conclusion
Sassuolo might be sitting comfortably in the middle of the standings but their form – and especially head-to-head records against Juventus – offers little promise ahead of the game against title defenders. Cristiano Ronaldo is hungry for goals and we widely expect he will continue his impressive scoring run.
Verdict: Cristiano Ronaldo to Score Anytime
Best Odds: 9/10
Bookmaker: 888sport
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