Juventus have endured a miserable season so far, and they will be hoping for a significant improvement against Empoli when the two sides meet at the Allianz Stadium on Friday evening.
Juventus vs Empoli Betting Tips:
Juventus to win to nil @ 6/5
Under 2.5 goals @ 10/11
Max Allegri’s side are eighth in the table and are already ten points adrift of Napoli, who sit top of the table.
Allegri’s future has been up for discussion, with the Old Lady losing away to prospective title rivals AC Milan and newcomers Monza.
Their next task is against Empoli, who are tenth in the table despite winning only two of ten matches.
They have won away from home only once so far at Bologna, and this will be a big challenge despite Juve’s problems.
Team news
Defender Bremer could miss the game after suffering a thigh strain in last week’s 1-0 victory in the Turin derby at Torino, with club captain Leonardo Bonucci expected to deputise in Allegri’s brand new back three formation.
Paul Pogba has resumed training following a knee injury picked up during the summer, preventing him from making a second debut, but he is not expected to return to action just yet.
Mattia De Sciglio, Federico Chiesa, and Angel Di Maria are all expected to still be absent.
Empoli do not have any fresh corners ahead of their trip to Juve, with boss Paolo Zanetti unlikely to make any changes to his side that beat Monza last time.
Ardian Ismajli, Lorenzo Tonelli, Alberto Grassi and Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro are set to be ruled out with injury.
Juventus to win to nil @ 6/5
Juventus are no longer the dominant force in Italian football that saw them win nine consecutive titles during the 2010s.
They have been overhauled by both Milan clubs, while Napoli and Atalanta are looking strong for title tilts.
Juve have won just four of ten matches this season, with three of them coming against teams in the bottom half of the table.
Despite their problems, they still are a solid outfit at home and have kept clean sheets in three of their five games.
Only three goals have gone past the Bianconeri at home so far, and they are coming up against an Empoli side who don’t score too many goals.
Under 2.5 goals @ 10/11
This match is not likely to be a classic, and it might be one where Juventus have to stubbornly break down Empoli, who are likely to come and defend.
The visitors have drawn half of their matches so far this season, and only three of their ten games have seen more than three goals scored.
Only three teams have scored fewer goals in Serie A this season than Empoli, while Lazio and Atalanta are the only teams to have a more watertight defence than Juventus.
The last five meetings at the Allianz Stadium have all ended either 1-0 or 2-0.
