Our prediction for this Serie A match:
Juventus will be aiming to build on back-to-back wins over Sampdoria and Inter when they host Verona to their Allianz Stadium on Saturday evening. The Bianconeri have rejoined the Champions League race despite the 15-point deduction, and we are positive that they will go all guns blazing at the Mastini. A man to watch in the home team will be Dusan Vlahovic, who scored a brace for Serbia in a 2-0 win over Montenegro, whereas his compatriot Filip Kostic has joined the likes of Leonardo Bonucci, Nicolo Fagioli, Paul Pogba, Fabio Miretti, and Kaio Jorge in the recovery room.
Both Leandro Paredes and Adrien Rabiot are banned for the match, while all Alex Sandro, Arkadiusz Milik, and Federico Chiesa are major doubts. Verona, on the other hand, experienced all sorts of problems at the back in the relegation six-pointer against Sampdoria (1-3), and even though Juve head into the match with a severely-weakened squad, home win should be considered. You should know that Verona have yet to record a win on the road this term. Defender Diego Coppola is banned for the visiting side.
Highlighted Player (Angel di Maria):
Angel Di Maria is a professional footballer who played for Argentine side Rosario Central at the start of his senior career. The left-footed winger is very quick on the ball and he often makes life difficult for opposition defenders. After playing for Benfica between 2007 and 2010, the Argentine superstar signed for Real Madrid on 28 June, 2010 for a fee of €25 million + €11 million in bonuses.
Despite impressing with los Blancos in the 2013/2014 La Liga campaign, the club chiefs decided to sell him to Manchester United on 26 August, 2014. Di Maria was playing below expectations at Old Trafford and he scored three goals in 27 league games for the Red Devils.
In 2015 he moved to Paris Saint-Germain and he scored 10 goals in 29 league appearances for les Parisiens in the 2015/2016 Ligue 1 campaign. In 2014 he won the Champions League trophy with Real Madrid and that is considered the biggest success of his career. Angel Di Maria was born in Rosario on 14 February, 1988.
Highlighted Team (Verona):
Founded back in 1903, Hellas Verona are a professional football club that compete in the Italian Serie A. The “Mastini” are well known for their yellow and blue jerseys and they welcome their opponents at Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi. Hellas Verona share rivalry with Chievo Verona and the two local rivals face each other in the “Derby della Scala”.
The first derby of Verona was played on November 18, 2001, with Hellas Verona emerging triumphant (3-2). In 1985 the Mastini won their first and only Scudetto, with the team finishing the season in top position in the Serie A standings, four points clear of second-placed Torino. The likes of Preben Elkjaer, Giuseppe Calderisi, Hans-Peter Briegel, Pietro Fanna and Antonio Di Gennaro led Hellas Verona to the historical success.
However, the most famous footballer who played for Verona is Romania international Adrian Mutu, who scored 16 goals in 57 appearances in the league for the Stadio Marc’ Antonio Bentegodi outfit. Verona will compete in the Italian top flight in the 2017/2018 season as they finished the 2016/2017 Serie B campaign in second position in the table.