Spezia vs Juventus

Out-of-sorts Juventus will be aiming to kick-start their Serie A campaign when they take on lowly Spezia at the Stadio Alberto Picco this midweek.

Spezia got off the mark in Serie A at the weekend (W1, D1, L2), courtesy of a 2-1 away win over newly-promoted Venezia, as they take the field sitting above their prominent opposition. Thiago Motta’s side could rack up back-to-back Serie A victories for the third time in their top-flight history, last doing so in February. Worryingly, though, you have to go back to mid-February to find Spezia’s most recent clean sheet in Serie A, with the ‘Aquilotti’ conceding at least once in all 20 previous top-flight outings. Juventus’ visit to Alberto Picco might stir some painful memories among the local faithful, as Spezia lost both last season’s Serie A meetings with this opposition by a three-goal margin after conceding precisely three second-half goals on each occasion.

In the meantime, Juventus once again failed to capitalize on breaking the deadlock, turning a 1-0 HT lead against fierce rivals AC Milan into a 1-1 draw at the weekend. Indeed, Massimiliano Allegri’s men seem to have developed a habit of falling apart after the break. They have found themselves in front at the interval in three of their four Serie A outings this term without winning once (D2, L1). Without a win after their inaugural four league games (D2, L2), Juventus face the prospect of going winless in their first five matches of a new Serie A season for the first time since 1955/56. Sitting in the drop zone ahead of the kick-off, the ‘Bianconeri’ could effectively pull out of the title race with another slip-up here, as they already trail top-placed Inter Milan by a staggering 11 points.