Juventus hunting first back-to-back opening wins since 2019/20
Hellas Verona and Juventus face off on Monday evening, 26 August, in Verona, with kick-off at 19:45 (GMT+1) at the Marcantonio Bentegodi. Gli Scaligeri enjoyed a dream start after finishing thirteenth last season, while the Old Lady also hit the ground running under new manager Thiago Motta. Victory would see Juventus win their opening two matches in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2019/20.
Motta starts strongly with three different goalscorers
Thiago Motta marked his Serie A managerial debut in impressive fashion: just like his counterpart on the opposite touchline, he won his opening fixture 3-0, at the expense of newly promoted Como. Samuel Mbangula broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute, before Timothy Weah made it 2-0 just before the break in the 45+1st minute. Andrea Cambiaso then completed the scoring in the 90+1st minute. With three different goalscorers, Juventus were the only side to achieve that feat on the opening matchday of the 2024/25 season. After that flying start, Juventus now face a stiff test. A win in Verona would make the Turin club the first to win their opening two matches in back-to-back seasons since 2019/20 — and it will also be the sixth time they have played two consecutive Monday Night fixtures. Tactically, a 4-2-3-1 formation is expected, with Dušan Vlahović leading the line. Motta does, however, have a short but painful injury list to contend with. Timothy Weah picked up a hamstring injury following the win over Como and is sidelined until mid-September. Vasilije Adžić, Khéphren Thuram and Fabio Miretti are also unavailable. To bolster the defence, Juventus have brought in Pierre Kalulu on loan from AC Milan.
Verona stunned Napoli and boast a strong home record against Juventus
Hellas Verona had a remarkable opening to the season last weekend, defeating Napoli 3-0 and handing Antonio Conte his first opening-day defeat in Serie A. Dailon Livramento broke the deadlock in the 50th minute, before 24-year-old Colombian forward Daniel Mosquera wrapped things up with a brace in the 75th minute and in the 90+4th minute. Manager Paolo Zanetti, who made his official Serie A debut with the club last week, will feel fortune is on his side when he looks at the home statistics. Verona are unbeaten in eight of their ten Serie A home fixtures against Juventus, with three wins, five draws and just two defeats. On top of that, the club are on the verge of making history: Hellas Verona have never won two consecutive opening matches in Serie A. Zanetti is expected to stick with his 3-4-3 system and the same starting line-up as last week. Dailon Livramento, Casper Tengstedt and Grigoris Kastanos are likely to form the attacking line once again. However, following his brace against Napoli, Daniel Mosquera will be knocking loudly on the door for a place in the starting eleven.
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Source: Sportmonks
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