SPAL vs Juventus 23/02/20

23 February 2020

Rock-bottom SPAL welcome Serie A (SA) table-toppers Juventus to the Stadio Paolo Mazza in the midst of a severe crisis.

The hosts are going through a rough period, having lost six of seven SA games since the turn of the year (W1), including the last four. Each of those four failures featured over 2.5 goals and witnessed both teams score, with SPAL blowing an early lead twice in the process. Nailed to the bottom of the table, ‘Gli Spallini’ must avoid defeat here, as they already trail 17th-placed Sampdoria by eight points. But, to do that, Luigi Di Biagio’s players have to overcome a disappointing home form that has seen them go seven league games without a win (D2, L5). For SPAL, goals have been at a premium. They’ve scored one goal or less in nine consecutive SA home matches, with five of the six goals they’ve scored in that period coming in the first half (83.33%). Another huge problem for the home side is their inability to keep a clean sheet. Indeed, they’ve conceded at least one goal in ten of 11 SA home games here so far this term.

As for the visitors, they have experienced mixed fortunes in their last five league fixtures (W3, L2) but have still managed to return to the top of the table. Interestingly, both of Juve’s failures during that five-game sequence arrived away from home, seeing them concede precisely two second-half goals and the same 2-1 scoreline. In fact, the 2-1 final score has been a highlight of Juventus’ away games this season, as six of their ten road results (win/loss) ended that way. Also, if Maurizio Sarri’s men win here, it will probably see them do that via a single-goal margin, given that the vast majority (85.71%) of their SA away triumphs produced a winning margin of one goal (six of seven). But, the Bianconeri have failed to walk away from the Stadio Paolo Mazza with all three points in both of their previous top-flight visits (D1, L1).