Preview: Juve looking for success in domestic competition after European heartbreak
Despite still being a dominant force in Italy, reigning Serie A champions Juventus will definitely not be feeling on top of the world after their Champions League dreams went down the drain following a 1-0 defeat away to Galatasaray in the final game of the UCL group stages that extinguished their hopes of finally winning the top prize in European club football after a long time.
However, despite the recent disappointment, Antonio Conte’s side are still the most dominant side in Italy at the moment and would be looking to make sure that their dominance counts for something as they kick off their Coppa Italia campaign, a cup La Vecchia Signora would certainly be looking to lift by the end of the season.
Avellino, or the Lupi as they are called in Campania, have spent only 10 seasons in top tier Italian football and spent majority of their history in the third tier of Italian football. However, the Biancoverdi have proven to be the surprise package of Serie B so far this season.
For a newly promoted side, Avellino have done admirably under the guidance of Massimo Rastelli and are currently in fifth place in the table and despite experiencing a slight dip in form of late, they will be looking to take the game to Juventus tomorrow even though they might bow out of the cup by the end of this particular game.
The Serie B side have won all Coppa Italia games by a narrow margin. In their last cup outing, Avellino beat Frosinone 1-0 after wins against Cesena and Monza. However, the game against the Italian league leaders will not be an easy one.
Rastelli has been inclined on using a 3-5-2 formation during the cup games but could go for a 4-3-1-2 formation in order to survive the siege that is coming their way. However, Avellino have been a revelation in Serie B and could offer stiff resistance to the Turin giants whose manager has experienced success against them as a player (back in 1995), which was the most recent encounter between the two sides.
This encounter offers Cote a chance to rest few of his regular starters keeping in view the Serie A encounter against Atalanta. Marco Storari is set to replace Gigi Buffon between the posts while Martin Caceres and Federico Peluso could replace Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini. Paolo De Ceglie, Fabio Quagliarella and Sebastian Giovinco are also set to start the game.
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels, Live scores
Watch Juventus vs Avellino live on Wednesday, December 18, 2013:
In Poland at 21:00 on Polsat Sport News
Fans based in the Middle East can watch the match live on Al Jazeera Sport HD3.
For complete details of match listings and live scores, visit the Juventus vs Avellino match page.
