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Juventus squandered their chance to clinch their ninth successive Serie A title in their previous outing as Udinese scored an injury-time winner to hand them their fifth defeat of the season.
The Bianconeri now have another chance to seal the deal against Claudio Ranieri’s Sampdoria this Sunday. A win would mathematically bring an end to the title race and hand them their 36th Scudetto.
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Sampdoria have done just enough to secure their top-flight status for the next season as they sit 14th in the league with 41 points. They will be safe even if they lose all of their remaining fixtures due to their superior head-to-head record against 18th-placed Lecce.
As Juventus welcome Sampdoria to the Allianz Stadium, here is a look at what to expect from this high-stakes match.
Juventus vs Sampdoria Head-to-Head
Juventus have the upper hand in Serie A fixtures against Sampdoria, winning 60 of their 123 meetings so far. I Blucerchiati have won 26 games while 37 games ended in a stalemate.
Their previous 10 encounters have produced conclusive results, ending in eight wins for I Bianconeri and two for the visitors. In the reverse fixture earlier this season, Juventus recorded a 2-1 win over Sampdoria at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris thanks to goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala.
Since the Serie A restart in June, Sampdoria have won five games and lost five, while Sarri's Juventus have fared relatively better, winning five games, losing twice and drawing the other two games. Surprisingly, it is Sampdoria who head into the fixture with a better run of form.
Juventus form guide: LWDDLW
Sampdoria form guide: LWWWLW
Juventus vs Sampdoria Team News
Juventus:
Juventus will head into the game without having a single player suspended for the first time in three matches. This comes as good news for Maurizio Sarri, who will be without the services of winger Douglas Costa for the rest of the season.
Costa picked up a thigh strain after the game at Udinese and needs at least 15 days to recover. Mattia De Sciglio and Sami Khedira are long-term absentees and continue to recover from their thigh injuries.
Giorgio Chiellini will also be on the sidelines due to a muscle strain. Striker Gonzalo Higuain has not featured in the last two fixtures due to a leg injury and will undergo a late fitness test before the game.
Leonardo Bonucci will return from suspension and is likely to join Matthijs De Ligt at the heart of the defence, while Juan Cuadrado could replace Danilo at right-back.
Injuries: Mattia De Sciglio (thigh), Sami Khedira (thigh), Giorgio Chiellini (Muscle strain).
Doubtful: Gonzalo Higuain (Leg).
Suspensions: None.
Sampdoria:
Claudio Ranieri will be without Omar Colley and Ronaldo Vieira, who picked up a one-game ban due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Midfielder Albin Ekdal had to be subbed off in their loss to Genoa at home and will also be on the sidelines due to the injury.
19-year-old striker Felice D'Amico is a long-term absentee and is out for the rest of the season with a broken foot.
Injuries: Felice D'Amico (foot), Albin Ekdal (Ankle).
Doubtful: None.
Suspensions: Omar Colley, Ronaldo Vieira.
Juventus vs Sampdoria Predicted XI
Juventus Predicted XI (4-3-3): Wojciech Szczesny; Juan Cuadrado, Matthijs De Ligt, Leonardo Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Adrien Rabiot, Blaise Matuidi, Rodrigo Bentancur; Cristiano Ronaldo, Federico Bernardeschi, Paulo Dybala.
Sampdoria Predicted XI (4-4-2): Emil Audero; Bartosz Bereszynski, Maya Yoshida, Lorenzo Tonelli, Tommaso Augello; Fabio Depaoli, Morten Thorsby, Karol Linetty, Jakub Jankto; Gaston Ramirez, Fabio Quagliarella
Juventus vs Sampdoria Prediction
After a stunning restart to their Serie A campaign in June, Juventus seem to have fallen in a bit of a slump, to put it mildly. They have relied heavily on Cristiano Ronaldo for goals and when he misfires, they lose.
They have not been solid at the back and the biggest shortcoming has been their inability to defend their lead. It has been observed that they usually concede a goal shortly after taking the lead this season.
Ronaldo was the star of their 2-1 win over Sampdoria in December when he reached a height of 2.56m to score the decisive goal for the Old Lady in the game. Can he produce a similar moment of brilliance in this game as well?
Ranieri's side can only hope to match their ninth-placed finish from last campaign this term. They have nothing much to play for but can spoil Juventus' party even if they manage to hold them to a draw.
Juventus have not been highly consistent in their previous fixtures while Sampdoria have scored 10 goals in the last four games, so it is difficult to predict an outcome for the game. Juventus are unbeaten at home for the season and would be eager to win the title at their home ground.
We expect the hosts to show their champion's mentality and bounce back from the defeat last time around.
Final Verdict:- Juventus 2-1 Sampdoria
