In-form Juventus face Sampdoria at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Serie A this weekend ahead of a daunting fixture list coming up next month.
The reigning Italian champions have been in great form since losing to Inter Milan 10 days ago, winning each of the next three games with a combined score of 8-0.
They first beat Napoli in the domestic Super Cup, saw off Bologna in the league, and then routed SPAL in the Coppa Italia.
This upturn in form comes at a crucial time as the Bianconeri face Inter Milan (twice), AS Roma, Napoli, and Porto, all within the next three weeks.
Andrea Pirlo's side is staring at a busy period ahead and will hope to pick up all the available points from this weekend's game.
Meanwhile, Sampdoria are currently languishing in the middle of the standings in 10th with eight victories from 18 games.
However, Samp have beaten some bigwigs on their day, accounting for Lazio, Atalanta, and more recently, Inter Milan. It will certainly not be wise for the Old Lady to underestimate their opponents this weekend.
Sampdoria vs Juventus Head-To-Head
Juventus have traditionally dominated this fixture with 20 wins from 33 games, while Sampdoria have claimed the spoils only six times. Samp's last victory came back in May 2019 following a shock 2-0 win at home.
The sides last met on the opening day of the 2020-21 season when Andrea Pirlo's managerial career got off to a comprehensive 3-0 victory at the Allianz Stadium.
Sampdoria Form Guide (all competitions): L-W-L-W-W
Juventus Form Guide (all competitions): W-L-W-W-W
Sampdoria vs Juventus Team News
Sampdoria
The home side will be without Manolo Gabbiadini, Lorenzo Tonelli, and Alex Ferrari as they continue to recover from their respective injuries.
Midfielder Gaston Ramirez must proceed with caution as he's just one booking away from suspension.
Injured: Manolo Gabbiadini, Lorenzo Tonelli, and Alex Ferrari
Suspended: None
Unavailable: None
Juventus
There are no injury concerns for Andrea Pirlo's side. However, Dejan Kulusevski is unavailable for the clash after picking up his fifth booking of the season. He will serve a one-game ban.
Injured: None
Suspended: Dejan Kulusevski
Unavailable: None
Sampdoria vs Juventus Predicted XI
Sampdoria (4-4-2): Emil Audero; Bartosz Bereszynski, Maya Yoshida, Omar Colley, Tomasso Augello; Antonio Candreva, Adrien Silva, Morten Thorsby, Gaston Ramirez; Keite Balde, Fabio Quagliarella.
Juventus (4-4-2): Wojceich Szczesny; Juan Cuadrado, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Danilo; Weston McKennie, Arthur, Rodrigo Bentancur, Federico Chiesa; Cristiano Ronaldo, Alvaro Morata.
Sampdoria vs Juventus Prediction
With so many daunting fixtures coming up in the next few weeks, this will be a good opportunity for Juventus to build momentum and confidence.
Sampdoria are capable of ruffling a few feathers but we expect the Bianconeri to come out on top by a narrow margin.
Prediction: Sampdoria 1-2 Juventus