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Sunday 10 November 2013

Juventus vs Napoli Match Report

Last nights clash between arguably Italy's finest was a very important one for both sides. Roma were held to a 1-1 draw with Sassuolo in the earlier game which meant that the winners of the game would move to just one point behind the leaders.

Juve went out knowing what they had to do and had the dream start when Isla's shot found Tevez who flicked it on to Llorente who was able to flick it past Reina from close range in just the 2nd minute. Juve were on fire and bulldozing the Neapolitan defence and moments after the goal Bonucci should have doubled the lead but his header was saved from point blank distance by Reina.

The Bianconeri came out in the second half full of confidence after an amazing first half performance where Reina kept them in the game however it seemed that Benitez had, had a word with his players who came out playing like a different side. They were pushing Juve and Insinge, Higuain and Hamsik all having their fair share of chances but when we received a free kick 25 yards out in the 70th minute Napoli could sense trouble. It was perfect Pirlo range and he didn't disappoint with a great free kick gave the Bianconeri a two goal cushion. However not long after Napoli could have opened up the game once again when Buffon was called upon to make a world class save. Despite this the game was sealed in the 80th minute when Paul Pogba shot a wonder goal to seal the victory. Minutes after new signing Angelo Ogbonna was sent off for two bookable offences but this was not enough to give Napoli a chance to get back in the game.

The performance against Napoli really was the best I have seen Juve play in a long time. It was a crucial game to win and everyone performed even the likes of Isla who has had a lot of criticism lately due to poor performances impressed. This game shows that Juve's bad start is now in the past and being a single point behind Roma the confidence in the Juve camp is high. Llorente is scoring the goals, the defence is keeping clean sheets and the midfield is one of the best in Europe the way Juve are playing at the moment really is impressive.


Juventus vs Napoli Match Preview

Tonight the Bianconeri host Napoli in a very important league tie. The teams sit level on points in 2nd and 3rd with Roma just 3 points ahead. Both teams will be wanting to keep up the chase with Roma who conceded their first amount of points to Torino last week.

Both teams will be heading into the tie on great form with both Juve and Napoli having won 5 of their last 6 games. Despite this Juve go into the game on the back of a draw to Real Madrid however I feel that will not affect the performance as Juve played great and will surely have confidence going into the game. On the other hand Napoli won midweek against Marseille so will be heading into tonights game surely high in confidence.

Fernando Llorente who was a midweek hero expects another tough game as he said "Napoli is a club of high level, they are doing really well and we will have to hand a superb performance to come out winners." Rafa Benitez meanwhile feels that it will be even harder for Napoli as he said recently "Juve are favourites to win because they have one extra day to prepare for the encounter."

Team News

Juventus are expected to line up with Llorente partnering Carlos Tevez up top after their recent impressive performances.

Napoli will be without Giandomenico Mesto who is expected to be out for 4 months with a knee injury.

Prediction

The odds are against Napoli in this tie with the Neapolitans not winning against Juve in Turin for 4 years but I feel Napoli have a chance of breaking that duct today. Their attack has been in amazing form with Marek Hamsik, Jose Callejon and Gonzalo Higuain scoring 17 of the 24 goals Napoli have scored this year. Nevertheless Juve seem to be finding their top form once again with 5 wins out of 6 and a very impressive performance against Real Madrid where the Bianconeri were very unlucky not to come out winners. I think that the home advantage will prove pivotal tonight and therefore I am going for 2-0 Juventus win.



Friday 8 November 2013

Juve News Today 8/11/13

Spanish striker Fernando Llorente who has had a rather poor start to his Juve career now seems to be finding his feet despite this reports in Italy have suggested that Juve have rejected a bid of £20 million from Arsenal.

Buffon who has been facing a lot of criticism over the past year has been backed by his agent who has said that Buffon is still the best goalkeeper in the world.


According to reports Thiago Motta's contract talks between PSG have stalled so it comes as no surprise that Europe's finest have decided to show interest in him with Juve being one of the favourites to sign him.

It is believed that Juventus have sent out scouts to Scotland to watch Heart of Midlothian defender Jordan McGhee. The 17 year old is said to be steady rather than spectacular and a formal offer is a long way off however some English clubs are also watching him.


Juve stars Carlos Tevez, Fernando Llorente, Fabio Quagliarella and Andrea Barzagli all took part in the  Bwin Skill Series. The players were put to the test with numerous different challenges but Tevez come out victorious. Have a look at the video on the link below !!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWJ3TtVUfsk


Wednesday 6 November 2013

Juve News Today 6/11/13

Juve are stepping up their interest in Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho. The 21 year old has been attracting interest from all the big clubs in Europe however according to reports Juventus are favourites to sign him.

Last night in our Champions League tie with Real Madrid we drew 2-2. A goal from Vidal in the first half put us ahead but after Ronaldo and Bale scored not long after half time we found ourselves 2-1 behind. Llorente headed us level. For more information on the game visit our earlier match report at http://bianconerinewz.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/juventus-vs-real-madrid-match-report.html


Our midfield rock Paul Pogba has been sparking interest from all over Europe but recent reports have suggested that Pogba was in talks with Real Madrid before joining Juventus.


Beskitas have joined the race with Tottenham Hotspur to sign Andrea Pirlo. Pirlo's contract runs out in the summer and with no new contract yet to be made it looks like the midfield veteran could leave Turin for free.

After our impressive performance last night that ended in a draw Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has said that he believes Juve will still qualify past Copenhagen and Galatasary despite Juve having still not won a game in Europe this season.







Tuesday 5 November 2013

Juventus vs Real Madrid Match Report

Tonights Champions League encounter with Real Madrid was an important one with it possibly influencing whether Juve make it through to the later stages of the competition. Juve started well and went ahead but after going 2-1 down it looked like the game was going to go down hill but they managed to salvage a draw.

Juventus started the first half on the front foot and were playing aggressively knowing they had to win the game meanwhile it seemed like Real Madrid had opted for more of a defensive style of playing. Despite this the first chance of the game came Real Madrid's way when Ronaldo's shot went wide from a rather tight angle. Two minutes later Tevez was taken down in the box after some great play yet referee Howard Webb decided not to give the penalty. Juve kept up the pressure with Llorente forcing a world class save from Casillas and againten minutes later Casillas had to make a decent save from Vidal's long range shot. Juve's great play finally payed off in the 39th minute when Paul Pogba was brought down in the box by Varane and this time unlike earlier in the game Juventus were rewarded a penalty. Vidal stepped up and as usual Vidal placed his penalty perfectly in the top corner.

Juve came out to the second half on the front foot but after a poor mistake from Caceres who had been excellent made a poor mistake which gifted Real Madrid the ball and Ronaldo put Madrid level. Juve seemed to lose their edge when Madrid scored and not long after the goal Alonso hit the bar. Juve then were unlucky to go ahead when Pepe blocked Tevez's shot off the line to deny Juve going forward. Juve looked to be back in the game and in control like most of the first half however they were caught on the counter attack and Bale scored from the edge of the box. Unlike the first Real Madrid goal Juve reacted well and it was not long after that Llorente put the scores level again. The game became end to end but there was no real golden chances to win the game and it ended 2-2.

In my opinion we were the better team tonight and we deserved the win and were unlucky once again against Real Madrid. Despite a draw not being what we wanted it was thankfully not necessarily what we needed due to the result in the other game however it does make our path that little bit harder.

Juventus vs Real Madrid Match Preview

This tuesdays Champions League tie against Real Madrid is really an important one in terms of progressing in the competition or not. Juve go into the game on a high after three straight wins in the league without conceding a goal however the Bianconeri are yet to win a game in this years Champions League where we sit third in the group table with 2 points. Meanwhile Real Madrid's Champions League campaign has been excellent. They sit top of the group table after winning all three game scoring 12 and conceding just 2, despite this their recent game against Rayo Vallecano was anything but promising win a narrow 3-2 win.

Antonio Conte believes we deserve to go through however feels we need to win this game if we have any chance, "We've got to show on the field, as we did in Madrid, that we deserve to go through, otherwise we will be the first to kneel down and applaud those who make it through instead of us." Meanwhile Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric believes that the game will be anything but easy and a win is not guaranteed as he said "They are a great side and we respect them, they have good quality players and we expect a difficult game in Turin."

Team News

Juve will have no Giorgio Chiellini who has a one match ban and Real Madrid won't have Fabio Coentrao who has a sprained ankle.

Prediction

Juve will go into this game high in confidence with three straight wins and three straight clean sheets while Real Madrid have not been at the top of their game. Despite this the pressure on the Juventini to win the game may be to high and could see them crumble under the pressure. 

I believe that this will be a great game and a tight game like the first time we met Real Madrid a couple of weeks ago however I feel this time Juve will come out on top. With the team being high in confidence and the fans behind them I predict a 2-1 win to Juventus ! FORZA JUVE !!!


Monday 4 November 2013

Juve News Today 4/11/13

Juventus have been facing criticism from many about the lack of wingers at the club and with the pursuit of Basel's Valentin Stocker looking less and less likely they have turned their attention to young Bosnian winger Izet Hajrovic.

Young Juventus star Domenico Berardi has once again shown why so many teams have been interested in the 19 year old as he scored a hat-trick this weekend against Sampdoria with his loaned club Sassuolo. Once again it looks like Manchester United have missed out on a great youngster.


It seems like Juventus and Napoli have lost out in the battle to sign FC Basel's centre back Fabian Schar who seems to be on his way to Borussia Monchengladbach.


Juve will go in to the Champions League tie against Real Madrid in the week high in confidence with three wins on the bounce and coach Antonio Conte has said that the Juve fans will help the team get a win meanwhile midfielder Claudio Marchisio has said that the side are ready for Real Madrid.


Juventus have closed the gap on Roma to just three points after our neighbours Torino held Roma to their first draw of the season which breaks their 100% win record with Alessio Cerci cancelling out Strootman's earlier goal.



Sunday 3 November 2013

Parma vs Juventus Match Report

After both teams had games midweek both managers opted for numerous changes such as Andrea Pirlo and Fernando Llorente being rested by Antonio Conte. The first half was not full of much action with clear cut chances being a very rare occurrence. The first real chance of the game came to Parma's Massimo Gobbi who dragged his shot wide on 11 minutes. A few more chances came Juventus' way with both Tevez and Vidal missing some rare chances to open the scoring. 
The quiet first half ended 0-0 with no real chances coming to either team but it was Parma who got the early chance in the second half where Amauri's back heel trickled just past the post after some good play down the right hand side from Biabiany. The second half was replicating the first half with very little chances coming either way however in the 70th minute Tevez had the best chance of the game as Padoin crossed the ball back to him in the middle of the box however his shot was saved by the legs of Mirante. But in the 77th minute Juve finally managed to break the deadlock with a Paul Pogba goal from close range as Quagliarella's shot from range rocketed of the crossbar.

A good win for the Bianconeri as we keep up the chase with Roma and Napoli however the lack of chances is worrying as both Roma and Napoli are not having this problem despite this the 4-0 win in the week may just suggest it was a one of nonetheless we cannot push aside another great Paul Pogba performance and to be fair it is no surprise that big teams all around Europe have his name at the top of their target list.



Saturday 2 November 2013

Juve News Today 2/11/13

Arsenal and Chelsea are tracking Paul Pogba and are planning on a swoop for him in January with reports suggesting the two London teams are prepared to offer €45 million for the young Frenchman.


Arturo Vidal is expected to sign a new contract with Juventus in the coming week. He is currently tied to Juventus till 2016 however his new contract could see him at Juventus till 2018 where he will be earning €4 million a season.

Andrea Pirlo is insisting that the upcoming clash away at Parma will be very tricky and the upcoming game with Real Madrid will not affect the performance of the team.


Andrea Pirlo is the target of many teams throughout Europe with Tottenham Hotspur being the most interested as Pirlo runs out of contract at the end of the season.


After our embarrassing loss to Fiorentina last week man of the moment Giuseppe Rossi said that the team celebrated like they had won the Champions League.






Friday 1 November 2013

Early Season Review

We are only in November so by no means is the season over but in my opinion the beginning of this season has not been up to the quality of the past two scudetto winning seasons.

We started our competitive season well at the Stadio Olimpico when we beat Lazio 4-0 in the Supercoppa. This made me even more confident that we will win the Serie A title for the third consecutive season. The first game of the season was not the best with a mere 1-0 win over Sampdoria where we looked no where near as good as we did in the Supercoppa. Despite this Juve went out into the next game against Lazio looking like their old self demolishing Lazio 4-1. However after this to put it in brief Juve went back to playing with the same low quality as in the Sampdoria game. Despite this we were still getting the results but when we visited Fiorentina we got what we deserved at what we needed. We were 2-0 up but once again we switched off and unlike other games where we were not punished we got what we deserved, a loss and an embarrassing loss. From 2-0 up we lost 4-2. This was the first time we have lost a 2-0 lead since we lost 3-2 to Napoli in 2009. We then had to face arguably the best team in Europe, Real Madrid. Despite losing 2-1 we played extremely well and looked like a much better team and maybe if a few refereeing decisions went our way and if we had just a bit of luck we could have beaten them. This just shows me that despite being third in the league things can only be getting better and I am still pretty sure that we will win our third consecutive scudetto.