As the saying goes, "It's not over until the fat lady sings". In the case of the 2015/2016 Serie A campaign, this basically means that the Scudetto race is far from over, and whilst there is no proverbial "fat lady", there is certainly an "old one". After a difficult start, Juventus, commonly known as la Vecchia Signora, are well back in the battle for the league title as they have clawed their way up from the bottom tier of the table into an impressive fourth place.
And one can certainly bet that Massimiliano Allegri's men, who are also still in contention for the Coppa Italia and into the last 16 of the Champions League, will certainly want to wrap up what has been a remarkable turnaround in their final league game of 2015.
Carpi
Thanks to the relegation-promotion system found in Europe's biggest leagues, a couple of teams from the second tier each season have the chance to try their luck playing with the big boys. And as a result of this, fans get the chance to also see some new and unfamiliar faces among the top 20 sides hoping to have a chance to be crowned champions of Italy in May. Of course, the newest kids on the block oftentimes have a rough start to life in the top echelon, but everyone does have to start from somewhere, and should they manage to make it through their debut season, things sometimes improve for them in their sophomore term.
Sassuolo is a prime example of this, having made their Serie A debut in the 2013/2014 campaign and pulling off some impressive wins - including a Domenico Berardi-inspired 4-3 victory over AC Milan in January 2014. Now in their third year, the Neroverdi have been one of the surprise packages this campaign and have racked up some impressive wins against the league's "bigger" sides to make sure that they have a good chance at finishing in the top half of the table this May.
This season, the debutants are Carpi, and not surprisingly, the Biancorossi have found life quite difficult. They have only two league wins to their name and sit second-to-last in the table, with 10 points and are six away from safety. However, whilst league play has not been kind to them, Fabrizio Castori's men have impressed in the Coppa Italia and after shocking Fiorentina 1-0, have set up a quarter-final clash with AC Milan - a team that they managed to hold to a 0-0 draw earlier this month.
Carpi recently recorded a 2-1 win over Genoa last month, but will be coming into this match having lost 3-0 to Empoli and have the worst defensive record in the top flight, with 30 conceded already this season. They will be hoping that veteran attacker Marco Borriello, who will be featuring against yet another one of his former employers to lead the line as they have only scored five times at home - the worst of any team so far this campaign.
Juventus
Meanwhile Allegri's side have been unstoppable over the past few months and will be coming into this game having thrashed city rivals Torino 4-0 to book their spot in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals. They also came back from 1-0 down to power past Fiorentina 3-1 in their last league fixture, and have won six straight games in Serie A to overtake Roma to seize fourth place. With the exception of a 1-0 defeat to Sevilla in their last UCL group stage match - a loss that has made their round of 16 match-up more difficult as they will have to deal with Bayern Munich - they have been virtually flawless and have a good chance at making it seven straight wins before the Christmas break.
With Napoli and Fiorentina just two points ahead, a win for Juve could see them briefly overtake the Partenopei and the Viola and jump into second, which would leave them just three points behind league leaders Inter Milan. Even if Napoli and Fiorentina win their respective fixtures to reclaim their positions, the gap between them and Juventus will still only be two points, and even Inter Milan's six point gap is not something that is guaranteed to remain intact during the second half of the season.
After all, at one point, Roma, who are now one point behind the Bianconeri were enjoying a massive lead over Juventus, who had a dismal 12 points and were sitting closer to the relegation zone than anywhere near a European spot six rounds ago. Now, less than two months later, and 18 points out of 18 earned, they are a point ahead of the Giallorossi, and it's the capital club who appear to have suffered a mid-season implosion and are now playing catch-up with the team they have attempted twice in past seasons to knock off their Scudetto perch.
Despite the massive gap between the two sides, expect Allegri to name a strong squad for this match as he will expecting nothing less than a win. Having rested some of his players, including veteran keeper Gigi Buffon for the Coppa Italia tie, he will definitely be re-calling him into action, and in attack, Paulo Dybala, who started as a sub will likely feature from the opening whistle alongside preferred striker partner Mario Mandzukic.
Which channel is broadcasting Carpi vs Juventus on TV or Online?
It's clearly going to be a case of David versus Goliath as the Serie A debutants take on the reigning Scudetto champions, but don't expect the titanic task ahead to scare off loyal Biancorossi followers from heading to the Stadio Alberto Braglia Sunday afternoon.
After all, the team, who only won promotion to Serie B three seasons ago, are into the quarter-finals for the Coppa Italia after defeating Fiorentina. And quite a few Juventus away supporters will probably also be taking the trip to cheer the Bianconeri on to a seventh straight - and expected - win.
However, if you're elsewhere in Italy or in another country entirely, no problem. LiveSoccerTV has you covered with plenty of options to watch this early afternoon (or morning game, depending on your location). Here are some choices to catch the game via TV, phone, computer, or tablet for fans residing in the following countries:
- In the USA at 6.30 EST on: beIN Sports USA, beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., RAI International, fuboTV, beIN Sports en Español
- In Italy at 12.30 CET on: SKY Go Italia, Sky Supercalcio HD, Sky Calcio 1
- In the UK at 11.30 GMT on: BT Sport Live Streaming, BT Sport Europe
- In Canada at 6.30 ET on: beIN SPORTS CONNECT Canada, RAI International, beIN Sports en Español, beIN Sports Canada
Live elsewhere? Simply check out our special Carpi vs. Juventus broadcast page for specific viewing times and options for wherever you call home.
*Note: Live broadcast listings are subject to change*
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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