Juventus head into their first home game of the season full of confidence after claiming maximum points on matchday one, while Parma were left empty-handed.
Match preview
Luciano Spalletti’s side got their campaign up and running with a hard-fought win away to newly promoted Frosinone, surviving a late scare when their hosts hit the crossbar. It was a dominant performance in terms of chances created — Juve dominated possession and had 19 shots — but they had only Bremer’s first-half header to show for it.
The win was soured by fresh injury news: star man Kenan Yildiz suffered an injury that could keep him out for up to three months. Spalletti will have to find a solution fast, with Juventus aiming to win their opening two league matches for a third season running. Turin has been a fortress recently too — the Bianconeri lost just twice at home last season, doing the league double over Parma in the process.
Bremer in particular has haunted the Gialloblu, having scored twice when Juventus beat Parma 4-1 in their last meeting, following an earlier 2-0 win in Turin. History is firmly against the visitors on the road too, with only one away win from their last 21 top-flight campaigns, including three defeats to Juve.
It’s been a difficult start for Carlos Cuesta’s Parma. A busy summer of departures — headlined by Mateo Pellegrino’s move to Fiorentina, plus the exits of goalkeeper Zion Suzuki and defender Alessandro Circati — left Parma managing just two shots on target in their opening defeat to Cagliari. A trip to Juventus Stadium is a tough way to try to bounce back, before turning attention to a Coppa Italia second-round tie next week.
Team news
Jeremie Boga, now signed permanently after an impressive loan spell, looks the most likely candidate to fill in for the injured Yildiz, with new arrival Kerim Alajbegovic also in contention. Juventus have overhauled their goalkeeping department, with Michele Di Gregorio moving to Bournemouth and Mattia Perin heading to Palermo, while Kamil Grabara has arrived from Wolfsburg. Guglielmo Vicario, who came off with cramp against Frosinone, is expected to continue in goal. Federico Gatti and summer signing Jeff Ekhator remain doubts. Weston McKennie is a late absentee which could mean that Kerim Alajbegović gets his club debut.
Parma have their own fitness concern, with former Juventus midfielder Hans Nicolussi Caviglia set for groin surgery. Otherwise Cuesta has a near-full squad to choose from — El-Bilal Toure started up front last week, but Mattia Frigan, David Romero and Nesta Elphege are all pushing for a recall. Sascha Britschgi is back from suspension but may have to settle for the bench.
Probable Starting XI’s
Juventus (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Luiz; Conceicao, Alajbegović, Boga; Kolo Muani
Parma (4-3-3): Corvi; Delprato, Troilo, Valenti, Valeri; Ordonez, Keita, Bernabe; Almqvist, Toure, Lontani
Prediction
Juventus were far from clinical against Frosinone but still took all three points, and a more clinical finish should be enough to see off a Parma side that’s already lost key players to bigger clubs and looks light on cutting edge up front.
Prediction: Juventus 2-0 Parma
