Serie A Preview: Juventus - Livorno
Who: Juventus v Livorno
When: Saturday, 25th August 2007, kick-off 20:30 (CET)
Where: Stadio Olimpico, Turin
 
The Return Of The Old Lady

Serie A missed Juventus and Juventus missed Serie A. There's no other way about it: love them or hate them, without the Bianconeri the Italian top flight lost plenty of its allure.

However, the real question now is: are Juventus back at their best, or will we have to wait a few more years before the Old Lady can reassert dominance and sustain a real challenge?

The pre-season has not been very encouraging for the newly promoted side, and from title contenders their status has been degraded down to Champions League hopefuls at best.

Given their pre-season form, many feel that, realistically, the best that Juventus can aim for this year is a top four position and nothing else.

The team will need time to gel and to assimilate the tactics of coach Claudio Ranieri. What's more, their opponents have all strengthened themselves for this difficult season ahead, further raising the stakes.

Who Needs Lucarelli?

Livorno sold influential and prolific striker Cristiano Lucarelli to Shakhtar Donetsk this past summer, but President Aldo Spinelli has no intention of looking back in anger.

Instead, he went shopping. He bought veteran but troubled attacker Diego Tristan and former Empoly man Francesco Tavano for what could be an explosive attack if both players click and deliver. Each has doubters to prove wrong and that could be key to their success.

Livorno are a tough side and this will therefore be a very good test for the highly criticized Juventus defence. Indeed, the only stopper to have impressed so far is Andrade, even though his rough way of playing – reminiscent of Paolo Montero – may land him a lot of suspensions during the season.

The Amaranti will be targeting a mid-table position this year - they certainly don't lack for quality - so it will be an ideal way to gauge the Old Lady’s strength . But that will not be enough to really get an idea on where Juventus can go this season - that will take more than just one game.
 

FORM GUIDE

Juventus
Milan - Juventus      2 - 0      17/08/2007      Friendly
Juventus - Roma     5 - 2     11/08/2007     Friendly
Sunderland - Juventus     1 - 1     04/08/2007     Friendly
Hamburg - Juventus     1 - 0     01/08/2007     Friendly
Newcastle - Juventus     2 - 0     29/07/2007     Friendly
Juventus - Spezia      2 - 3      10/06/2007      Serie B

Livorno
PAOK - Livorno          1 - 1      07/08/2007      Friendly
 Livorno - Atalanta      4 - 2      27/05/2007      Serie A
Torino - Livorno     0 - 0     20/05/2007     Serie A
Livorno - Sampdoria     1 - 0     13/05/2007     Serie A
Lazio - Livorno         1 - 0     06/05/2007     Serie A
Livorno - Palermo     1 - 2     29/04/2007     Serie A

TEAM NEWS

JUVENTUS
The Bianconeri will be without defenders Birindelli and Grygera, whereas midfielder Marchionni has a long-term injury. No players are suspended.

Juventus (4-4-2): Buffon, Zebina, Andrade, Criscito, Chiellini, Salihamidzic, Almiron, Nocerino, Nedved, Trezeguet, Del Piero

LIVORNO
Former Juventus man Giannichedda will miss the match against the Bianconeri due to an injury, just like newcomer Dhorasoo and Vidigal. Just like Juventus, Livorno have no suspended players.

Livorno (4-4-2): Amelia, Grandoni, Knezevic, Galante, Pasquale, A. Filippini, Pulzetti, Loviso, E. Filippini, Tristan, Tavano

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Nocerino (Juventus)
Nocerino is one of the most interesting young midfielders from this new Juventus side and, indeed, the entire Italian scene. Gianluigi Buffon suggested to keep an eye on Nocerino this season, and that’s what we shall do, starting from this match.

Tavano (Livorno)
He exploded during his Empoli days, but failed to deliver at Valencia and Roma. Now it’s his chance to prove that he was not just a flash in the pan. Livorno, sans Toni, is the perfect stage to show what he’s worth.

PREDICTION

Juventus will need to be at their best if they want to start their Serie A season with a win, as the squad has so far failed to live up to expectations during the pre-season. The Bianconeri are stronger than Livorno on paper, but, of course, the Old Lady will have to prove this on the pitch. They can do it, thought: a hard earned win for Juventus.

Juventus 1 – 0 Livorno