Juventus beat Roma thanks to Mandzukic header
A goal from Mario Mandzukic in the first half helped Juventus over AS Roma in Serie A as Juve keep their eight point lead at the top of the table.
Juventus 1-0 Roma: match report
Juventus maintained their unbeaten record with a win over Roma on Saturday night in Turin. Mario Mandzukic headed home in the first half, which was enough to give the home side all three points.
Douglas Costa had a goal scratched off after Blaise Matuidi was ruled to have fouled Nicolo Zaniolo in the build-up.
The Serie A leader, Juventus, have an eight point lead over Napoli with Roma languishing in 10th place on 24 points.
Juventus vs Roma live online: latest updates
Juventus vs Roma live online: match preview
Roma travel to the Allianz Stadium on Saturday evening with the onerous task of puncturing Juve’s title-winning juggernaut on a stage where the Giallorossi have not tasted victory or so much as earned a point since 2010.
Massimiliano Allegri’s side have hardly been waylaid on their path to a potential eighth successive Scudetto, only Genoa having the temerity so far in Serie A to offer a spanner for the black-and-white works. Juve have amassed 46 points and a goal difference of +25 in 16 games so far and hold an eight-point advantage over nearest challengers Napoli, a record that will be hard to wrest from the champions on their own turf.
Juventus
Allegri, as expected, named Cristiano Ronaldo in his squad despite promising the Portuguese a rest over Christmas, the Portugal captain being better deployed against a dangerous Roma side than the lesser threats of Sampdoria and Atalanta. Ronaldo will get to put his feet up, but only after he has use them to try and dispatch Eusebio Di Francesco’s team.
The Juve boss has recovered most of his missing midfield, Sami Khedira and Rodrigo Bentancur returning to the squad to bolster the Juve centre. It is likely that only the Uruguayan will slot back into his place, with Blaise Matuidi and Miralem Pjanic doing enough in recent weeks to cement the other two berths.
There will be few changes elsewhere from Allegri, with Matteo Di Sciglio deputizing again for the injured João Cancelo with Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic accompanying Ronaldo up front.
Roma
Di Francesco’s side sit just outside the top six in Serie A with their away from the prime reason: Roma have won just twice outside the Stadio Olimpico this season. Their last four away days have reaped just three points and four goals and the visitors on Saturday will have to launch their assault on Juve’s fortress in the absence of the irreplaceable Daniele De Rossi, top scorer Stephan El Shaarawy and Italy winger Lorenzo Pellegrino.
In good news for Di Francesco, Edin Dzeko passed a fitness test and will be available in Turin and the youthful verve of Justin Kluivert and Cengiz Ünder will be tasked with providing the ammunition for the Bosnia striker to get his boots on.
Alessandro Florenzi is fit to start on the right of Roma’s back four with Steven N’Zonzi and Bryan Cristante likely to operate as a double screen in front of the defence to counter Juve’s trademark quick breaks.