Will Dybala score against Juve after three years?

The news of the day is that, after almost three months, Gleison Bremer will once again marshal Juventus’ defense. The Brazilian, who missed the entire previous season due to a serious knee ligament injury, then suffered a lighter ligament problem that kept him off the pitch for 84 days. His recovery could not have come at a better time for Juventus, given that Gatti is injured, Koopmeiners is suspended due to yellow cards, and Cabal was injured just ahead of the match against Roma. While we will see Bremer among the starters of the Old Lady after a long absence, Arkadiusz Milik has been named in the squad for a Serie A match for the first time in a year and a half. The Pole, as a reminder, was injured in June 2024 while playing for the national team and has not played a single minute since. He will start on the bench, and it is not out of the question that we could see him late in the match.

Unlike Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti, who has an additional reason for optimism ahead of tonight’s clash, Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has a new problem. Hermoso has minor muscle issues, leaving Gasperini with a very tough dilemma—whether to “throw him into the fire” and risk a more serious injury, or to rest him. The dilemma is even greater given that Ndicka and El Aynaoui have gone to the Africa Cup of Nations, while Zolkowski and Gilardi are still too ‘green’ for big Serie A matches. The match between Juventus and Roma will carry significant competitive weight, as it represents a seasonal watershed for both teams. Both sides recorded very important wins in the previous round against Bologna and Como, and the primary task for Spalletti and Gasperini is to maintain continuity in results. Since taking charge of the Old Lady, Spalletti has recorded three wins, two draws, and one defeat, while Gasperini has yet to draw a match with his team this season (the only one besides Inter). It is also interesting that the two coaches could have ended up in opposite roles. Gasperini’s first choice when he decided to leave Atalanta was Juventus, but Bianconeri sporting director Daniele Comolli completely mishandled the negotiations with the experienced coach, and Gasperini ended up in Trigoria instead of Continassa.

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In addition to the two coaches being so-called “exes,” meaning former figures, two Argentinians in Roma’s squad—Dybala and Soule—are also former Juventus players. Soule, after winning his duel with Nico Paz last week, will have another tonight against Kenan Yıldız. The two have similar output in the league so far: Yıldız has scored six goals and provided five assists, while Soule has found the net five times and assisted five times as well. Regarding the lineup, Spalletti has only one dilemma, concerning the center-forward position: Openda or David. On the other side, Gasperini is weighing whether to start Dybala from the first minute and how to solve the defensive puzzle. Dybala has yet to score against Juventus since leaving Turin and is highly motivated to break that personal taboo, especially since his separation from the Bianconeri was far from amicable.

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Yesterday in training, Rensch was tested in the back three, although there is a greater chance that Celik will start. Everything depends on Hermoso—whether Gasperini will take the risk or not. An additional burden for the visitors’ defense is the knowledge that potential yellow cards for Mancini, Hermoso, and Wesley would rule them out of Roma’s next league match against Genoa at the Olimpico. Statistics show that Juventus and Roma have drawn their last three league encounters, and to find four consecutive draws between the two sides one would have to go back 40 years. Roma have beaten Juventus only once in the past five years, while Juventus, since moving to their new stadium, have recorded an impressive record against the Giallorossi: 11 wins, two draws, and just one defeat—and that loss came in a match that had no significance, as Juve had already secured the Scudetto (the Bianconeri’s most recent league title, with Sarri on the bench

SERIE A - MATCHDAY 16

Saturday

20.00: (1.62) Lazio (3.70) Cremonese (6.00)

22.45: (2.05) Juventus (3.45) Roma (4.10)

Sunday

14.30: (2.20) Cagliari (3.25) Pisa (3.80)

17.00: (2.35) Sassuolo (3.25) Torino (3.15)

20.00: (2.25) Fiorentina (3.35) Udinese (3.50)

22.45: (4.10) Genoa (3.50) Atalanta (2.00)

***odds are subject to change***