
Juventus will be hoping to get a new manager bounce when they host Genoa in an Italian Serie A fixture on Saturday. The Turin club are desperate to get their top four charge back on track and should have the upper hand over the visitors, who often struggle on their travels and have injury problems at the moment.
Juventus are coming off a 3-0 defeat at Fiorentina in their previous Serie fixture, their second straight loss following a 4-0 thrashing at home by Atalanta. That result was the final straw in a string of poor performances which led to the sacking of manager Thiago Motta during the international break.
Igor Tudor is the new man in charge and the former Lazio gaffer could have something to work with as Juventus have won four of their last five Serie A matches. The manager has a reputation for attacking football but must also find a way to tighten up at the back, with the Turin club conceding seven goals in their last two matches.
Genoa head to Turin off the back of a 2-1 victory over Lecce last time out in Serie A. That result means Patrick Vieira's men are now unbeaten in their last four matches, a run that takes them up to 12th in the table, five points off the top half.
One area that needs improvement for Genoa is their away form as they are winless in their last six Serie A matches on the road. Their task in Turin is made even more difficult as their team is depleted at the moment with key players like Vitinha, Junior Messias, Morten Thorsby and Caleb Ekuban all part of a lengthy injury list.
How the bookies view it: Juventus to prevail
Juventus have been installed as overwhelming favourites by the bookies with BoyleSports offering 1/2 for a home win. A victory for Genoa is valued at 11/2 while a draw is set at odds of 14/5 with BoyleSports.
Head to head: Old Lady on top
Juventus have a 27-5 advantage with 11 draws from 43 previous matches against Genoa. The Turin club also eased to a 3-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in September, with Dusan Vlahovic netting a brace.
Players to watch: Eyes on Vlahovic
Vlahovic is Juventus' top scorer in Serie A with nine goals and comes into this clash after a fine performance for Serbia during the international break. The striker also netted a brace in the reverse fixture and is priced at 7/5 by BoyleSports to get on the score sheet.
Andrea Pinamonti is Genoa’s topscorer with eight goals and will fancy his chances against a vulnerable Juventus backline. The forward is worth considering to score anytime at odds of 4/1 with BoyleSports.
Probable line-ups
Juventus will be without Andrea Cambiaso, Douglaz Luiz, Arkadiusz Milik, Juan Cabal and Gleison Bremer due to injury. However, Manuel Locatelli, Weston McKennie and Dusan Vlahovic are all fit and expected to start.
Thorsby, Ekuban, Hugo Cuenca, Lior Kassa, Mario Balotelli, Fabio Miretti, Junior Messias, Mattia Bani, Vitinha, Honest Ahanor and Maxwel Cornet are all injured for Genoa. Aaron Martin is also suspended but Pinamonti, Ruslan Malinovsky, Alessandro Zanoli are all expected to start.
Juventus: Di Gregorio, Weah, Veiga, Kelly, Kalulu, Locatelli, Thuram, Gonzalez, McKennie, Koopmeiners, Vlahovic
Genoa: Leali, Sabelli, De Winter, Vasquez, Martin, Frendrup, Masini, Zanoli, Malinovsky, Onana, Pinamonti
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams have scored in Genoa’s last three matches and a repeat could be considered at 6/5 with BoyleSports. Juventus’ last two matches have produced over 2.5 goals, which is priced at 21/20 by BoyleSports.
There have been goals in each half in Juventus' last two matches and a similar outcome is valued at 10/11 with BoyleSports. With the Turin club priced at minimal odds for a straight victory, a win and over 2.5 goals can be considered at 13/8.
This Serie A match between Juventus and Genoa will be played on and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best Juventus vs Genoa prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.