Palermo vs Juventus Preview

December 8, 2012 By Gregory Sica

The Italian champions will be hoping to mark Antonio Conte's return to the dugout with a victory over the struggling hosts.

After serving a four-month ban following the match betting scandal, Antonio Conte will finally be back on the touchline for Juventus' visit to Palermo.

Juventus have been in excellent form in his absence, as although they have lost a couple of matches along the way they currently lead the Serie A standings and also had little trouble in securing themselves a spot in the Round of 16 stage of the UEFA Champions League.

La Vecchia Signora come into the clash having edged Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 in Ukraine for the Champions League midweek, and are the odds on favourites to claim maximum points against a struggling Palermo outfit.

Conte will be unable to count with the services of Nicklas Bendtner, Simone Pepe and Lucio for the clash, as well as suspended striker Sebastian Giovinco. The Italian international will be replaced in the attack by either Alessandro Matri or Fabio Quagliarella.

Meanwhile, speedy Uruguayan defender Martin Caceres has been given the nod ahead of Giorgio Chiellini at the back.

Rivals Palermo also face a number of absences, as while Abel Hernandez and Andrea Mantovani are sidelined with injury, Argentine midfielder Nicolas Bertolo has just recovered from injury and is unlikely to begin the match from the kick-off.

But the good news is that Palermo coach Gian Piero Gasperini has a few important players available after missing the previous game, including former Milan and Celtic midfielder Massimo Donati.

Scoring-machine Fabrizio Miccoli has already notched up five goals this season, and is expected to be the lone striker up front against the Italian giants.

His effectiveness when in front of goal could be the difference between whether Palermo get something out of this game or not.