JUVENTUS, WIN IN BOLOGNA IN RANKING AND MORALE. BIANCONERI IN AN EMERGENCY: BOTH CHIELLINI AND BARZAGLI OUT! COUNT "PUNGE" THE ENVIRONMENT: "WE ARE NOT DEPRESSED AND TROUBLE WITH WHISTLING...".
Looking for victory. After the draw against Chievo, the 12th in 25 league matches(!), Juventus goes to Bologna (recovery from the 23rd matchday) in search of a success that would put them back on track. Only in this way would the black and whites return to the top of the standings, albeit on equal points with Milan (but by virtue of the direct clashes they would still be first), otherwise the situation would not be a little complicated. From president Agnelli to the Vinovo usher, everyone at Juve understands that much of the team's fate will change over the next ten days: Bologna (today, 18.30 pm), Genoa (Sunday) and Florence (next Saturday) could really prove to be decisive. Antonio Conte, however, does not want his family to get overwhelmed by the pressure, which is why he has chosen to instill trust in a low-spirited environment, obviously in his own way: "If someone wants to put their head in the sand so as not to see how much good we have done so far I'll pull it out by the hair. What if our self-esteem is declining? Why should we get depressed considering the extraordinary championship we are having?”.
The coach then returned to the boos received on Saturday evening, the first of his Juventus management: “They hurt me a lot, that's beyond doubt. I think they are the result of the disappointment of not winning, this is the justification I can give. But I hope that there will always be great support for these guys, who are doing really great things". In short, the environment is noisy and Conte is not there. The moment is delicate and as if Milan's latest performances weren't enough, the first injuries of the season have also arrived. The coach will have to do without two defensive pillars like Chiellini and Barzagli, not exactly any two. Bonucci and Caceres will play in their place, their first starter in the league, while the young spring Guano will be brought on the bench, given the emergency. But Conte wanted to dwell above all on Vucinic, the great disappointment of the black and white season so far: "I think Vucinic is the most talented element of all that we have in the team, he is the player who can invent a play at any moment, can be decisive in the offensive phase. We can't question a player like Vucinic, we just can't afford it." In short, more than as a coach, Conte acted as a firefighter. In fact, the hotbeds of controversy are starting to become too many, which is why a victory is urgently needed. Starting tonight.
POSSIBLE FORMATIONS
Bologna (3-4-2-1): Gillet; Rays, Portanova, Antonsson; Pulzetti, Mudingayi, Perez, Rubin; Ramirez, Diamonds; Di Vaio. Trainer: Stephen Pioli. On the bench: Agliardi, Sorensen, Cherubin, Garics, Taider, Kone, Gimenez. Unavailable: Loria, Morleo, Acquafresca. Disqualified: nobody.
Juventus (4-3-3): Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Caceres, De Ceglie; Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio; Pepe, Borriello, Vucinic. Trainer: Antonio Conte. On the bench: Storari, Guano, Giaccarini, Elia, Del Piero, Quagliarella, Matri. Unavailable: Barzagli, Chiellini. Disqualified: nobody.
Referee: Luca Banti (Livorno). Assistants: Faverani-Stefani. Fourth man: Bergonzi.
