Last weekend was an interesting one for Serie A fans.
Scudetto aspirants Roma were held to yet another draw, shockingly with bottom-placed Parma, who had lost their last five meetings prior to heading to the Stadio Olimpico. Meanwhile, reigning champions Juventus also had to settle for a point against yet another bottom-ranked side, as 19th-placed Cesena were able to score twice against the side that boasts the strongest defense in the league.
Looming ahead for the Bianconeri is their upcoming Champions League clash with Borussia Dortmund. Despite the German outfit's awful domestic form, one can certainly bet that Massimiliano Allegri will not be taking the 2013 Champions League finalists lightly as they did manage to top their group, ahead of Arsenal on goal difference.
Whilst the draw with Cesena has not really put a dent in their quest to win their fourth straight title, Juventus can thank Roma's bad January and Napoli's inconsistent form at times this season for not really having any challengers for the league crown. Nonetheless, they will surely be keen to get back to winning ways in front of their home crowd, but in the same vein, would not want to over-exert themselves against a team that are desperate to avoid the drop.
Meanwhile, their upcoming opponents Atalanta will be still smarting from their 4-1 defeat to Inter, but history is not on the side of La Dea. The last time they were able to beat La Vecchia Signora in Turin was back in 1989 and despite clawing their way up the table over the past few seasons to avoid returning to Serie B, they right now sit in a disappointing 17th place. As such, if they are not careful, they could very well find themselves back in the second-tier for the upcoming campaign.
Certainly, the visitors will hope that Juventus will be somewhat distracted with their huge match coming up the following week. Yet although Allegri will likely give midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo a rest, Carlos Tevez will be back following his ban and will be keen to get his shooting boots ready for the big game just around the corner.
All in all, all the odds look in favour of the hosts, who have not lost a league game in Turin since January 2013. And given Atalanta's poor form this season, it looks highly unlikely that they will be the first side to depart the home ground of the Bianconeri with all three points in hand.
Juventus vs Atalanta team sheets
Juve's Starting XI: Buffon, Caceres, Bonucci, Chiellini, Padoin, Marchisio, Pirlo, Pogba, Pereyra, Tevez, Llorente.
Atalanta's Starting XI: Sportiello, Stendardo, Del Grosso, Bellini, Masiello, Migliaccio, Gomez, Cigarini, Zappacosta, Emanuelson, Denis.
Juve's bench: Storari, Rubinho, Lichtsteiner, Barzagli, Ogbonna, De Ceglie, Evra, Sturaro, Pepe, Morata, Coman, Matri.
Atalanta's bench: To follow.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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