Venezia welcome Juventus to the Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo for a decisive fixture on the final day of the Italian Serie A. Both teams come into this clash desperate for a win but the Turin club will be counting on their superior quality and should come out on top.
Venezia head into this game following a 3-0 defeat at Cagliari in their previous Serie A fixture. That result means they are winless in 18 of their last 20 Serie A matches and leaves them second from bottom, two points from safety.
This patchy form has left Venezia in a must-win situation heading into the final weekend. However, a win may not be enough for Eusebio Di Francesco’s men, whose survival may hinge on results elsewhere to clinch a relegation playoff spot.
Juventus arrive for the final match of the season off the back of a confident 2-0 home league victory over Udinese. They must win to confirm their place in next season’s UEFA Champions League and are now unbeaten in their last four matches, picking up two wins in that run.
In attack, Juventus have maintained their consistency, scoring in seven of their last eight Serie A matches. However, Igor Tudor’s men have struggled to keep things tight at the back and are without a clean sheet in nine of the last 10 matches in the league.
How the bookies view it: Overwhelming favourites Juventus
The bookies have installed Juventus as overwhelming favourites, with a home win priced at 8/15 with BoyleSports. A victory for Venezia is valued at 4/1 while a draw is set at odds of 3/1.
Head to head: Dominant Juventus
Juventus are unbeaten in all nine previous matches against Venezia, picking up six wins in that run However, they were held to a 2-2 home draw in the reverse fixture.
Players to watch: Reliable Vlahovic
Dusan Vlahovic is the leading scorer for Juventus with 10 goals and will be the one to watch on Sunday. He was on target last weekend and could be backed at 5/4 by BoyleSports to get on the score sheet.
Venezia have scored in four of the last six league games, netting seven times with Kike Perez and John Yeboah among the goals. Both men could combine to produce over 0.5 goals for the hosts at 8/13 with BoyleSports.
Probable lineups
Venezia will be without Gaetano Oristanio, Cheick Conde and Michael Svoboda due to injuries. However, Gianluca Busio, Perez and Yeboah are expected to start.
Juan Cabal and Pierre Kalulu are suspended while Gleison Bremer remains out injured for Juventus. However, Kenan Yildiz, Manuel Locatelli and Vlahovic are expected to start.
Venezia: Radu, Schingtienne, Idzes, Cande, Zerbin, Perez, Nicolussi, Busio, Ellertsson, Yeboah, Gytkjaer
Juventus: Di Gregorio, Cambiaso, Kelly, Veiga, Costa, McKennie, Locatelli, Yildiz, Conceicao, Gonzalez, Vlahovic
Anything else catch the eye?
Both teams have scored in the last three matches between Venezia and Juventus and a repeat is priced at 20/23 with BoyleSports. The last three league meetings have produced a goal in each half and that trend is expected to continue at 8/11 with BoyleSports.
Juventus are priced at minimal odds for a straight victory but with Venezia expected to score, a win and over 2.5 goals can be considered at 7/5.
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