With 18 wins in the Serie A this season, Juventus have been the best team in the competition, and top the table with 54 points. The Italian giants will hope to make it 19 wins when they face minnows Crotone, who are in the relegation zone.
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The Old Lady of Turin, after their loss to Fiorenetina, have won three matches on the trot in the Serie A, defeating top teams like Lazio and Inter Milan. Though Crotone's quality may not be anywhere close to Lazio's or Inter's, Juventus cannot afford to take their opponents lightly.
On paper, Juventus look the favourites, and anything less than three points for the table-toppers will be seen as failure.
Crotone will be trying to create a massive upset, and if one looks at their performances against big teams in Serie A, there is something to them. Crotone play tough against quality opposition, as was seen in some of their matches against Milan, Lazio and other teams.
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri is aware of this fact, and believes scoring against them will not be an easy affair.
"Crotone might be down towards the bottom of the table, but they've rarely been blown off the park. A lot of their defeats have come at the very end of matches, such as against Milan and Inter, while they would have beaten Fiorentina away were it not for conceding an injury-time equaliser. This all means that they're a very well-organised and balanced outfit who are difficult to score against. They play a classic 4-4-2 formation but it's not easy to break down," Juventus's official website quoted the manager as saying.
The manager knows about the challenges, but Allegri is not going field his best team available, as rest is important for the players who have some important matches ahead. Giorgio Chiellini and Claudio Marchisio are not in the Juventus squad, while Juan Cuadrado is not expected to feature as well.
Even without these players, they have enough stars in their ranks to perform to their level against Crotone. With players like Marko Pjaca, Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain, Crotone will be aware of the threat Juve brings to the table.
We are into that part of the season where teams in the bottom, including Crotone, will raise their standard of football to pick up points and at least look to jump one place up the table. They are currently second last in the Serie A. Victory here against Juve will help them go above Palermo.
Crotone must be utterly disappointed with their last match result against Palermo, who won 1-0. Had they won that close encounter, they would have been in much better frame of mind to face Juventus.
The home team will need some of their players to stand up and be counted in the absence of Lorenzo Crisetig and Marcus Rohden. Even if they manage to pick up a point against Juve, it will be huge for Crotone.
Where to watch live
Juventus vs Inter Milan is scheduled to kick off at 6 pm local time (10:30 pm IST, 12 pm EST, 5 pm GMT).
INDIA: TV: Sony ESPN. Live streaming: Sony Liv
ITALY: TV: Sky Calcio 1, Sky Sport 1 Italia. Live streaming: Sky Go Italia
UK: TV: BT Sport 3. Live streaming: BT Sport Live
USA: TV: Bein Sports, RAI International. Live streaming: Bein Sports Connect
