Edin out of the top four - giants will both slip
Serie A giants Juventus and Roma will duke it out on Saturday evening in the Allianz Stadium, but despite an improvement in form for the hosts, their near decade-long iron grip on the Scudetto now looks to be in serious jeopardy. Despite only losing twice in 19 league matches, Andrea Pirlo's men just haven't been dominant, and, like the visitors, face a scramble to hang onto a Champions League place for 2021/2022. Read our preview here:
Send in the Fed
Since becoming head coach, Pirlo has worked tirelessly to introduce his distinct philosophy on I Bianconeri, the club he had so much success as a legendary deep-lying playmaker, and in doing so, has had decidedly mixed results by both his and the team's very lofty standards. Although on the surface the side plays in a conventional 4-4-2, there is a great degree of positional and role fluidity, and far more emphasis on attacking the opposition outright than was the case in his own career. Even experienced professionals like Colombian Juan Cuadrado have had a new lease of life, and the winger has been 'converted' successfully into a flying right-back that can still lay on plenty of crosses for the forward line. 23 year old Federico Chiesa, signed from Fiorentina in the early weeks of the season, has essentially been deployed wherever the need for his talents in wide positions has been the greatest, and all of that without diminishing his output or efficacy. His only real weakness is in the air, which can be disguised for the most part simply by staying on the flanks. His movement bamboozles defences, and moreover, creates space to lay passes on a plate for Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Lord Mayoral's show?
Up until recently, Bosnian striker Edin Džeko was club captain and automatic first choice up top for I Giallorossi, but all that changed two weeks ago after a well-publicised bust-up with boss Paulo Fonseca. The immediate consequences of that spat were to be stripped of the captaincy and dropped from the team, and there even rumours swirling that he'd be moved on in the last days of the January transfer window elsewhere. Either way, that opportunity has now gone, and he might have to watch on from the sidelines for a third match in a row. The Spezia debacle in the Coppa Italia was the root cause of much of the tensions within the club, and has cast a huge shadow over their season despite good form that actually sees them above Juventus in the standings before kick-off. Real Madrid loanee Borja Mayoral has taken up the cudgels, and couldn't be more different in his playing style. Though he leads the line, he's not going to have anything like the same aerial presence as his teammate, and it's more likely that a path directly through the two banks of four on Saturday will be the go-to strategy, attempting to bypass their foes with speedy, incisive passing.
The Milanese malaise
Seven points separate the top four, with a clutch of contenders outside those spots breathing down both Juventus' and Roma's collective necks. Half the campaign is yet to play out, so there's plenty of points still to be grabbed. Even so, it's difficult to foresee either side hauling themselves ahead of the Milanese duo, both of which have, unusually in recent times, comparatively little strife and more settled squads. Games like these need decisive moments that spur on one team well after the final whistle blows, but despite the quality in both XIs, there's barely a hair between them. For that reason, betway are offering staggeringly long odds of 4.00 for a draw that would suit neither.
