Juventus vs Como preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction

Juventus will kick-start their 2024-25 campaign against Serie A newcomers, Como as Thiago Motta begins the challenge to reclaim Juventus’ first Scudetto in four years.

Juventus ended last season in third place in Serie A, trailing champions Inter Milan by 23 points. The club is now entering a new chapter under the leadership of Motta.

The excitement brought by the reappointment of Massimiliano Allegri, a six-time Scudetto champion including five consecutive titles with the Bianconerri, quickly faded as the club’s form declined towards the season’s end. While Allegri did manage to secure the Coppa Italia, the overall performance was insufficient to earn him another tenure at the club.

Motta joins a Juventus squad that has struggled with confidence, consistency, and an uncharacteristic playing style.

With his ability to instil an attractive playing style that combines offensive fluidity with defensive strength, the 41-year-old is expected to revive Juventus into the formidable side they were before the Pirlo era.

Last season, the Brazilian-born Italian manager turned a Bologna team teetering on the brink of relegation in the previous season, into a Champions League qualifying team. His approach is marked by a strong emphasis on possession, a relentless desire to regain the ball, and high pressing.

Juventus are now eager to regain their former dominance and remain strong contenders for the Scudetto starting with the league opener against Serie A new arrivals, Como.

In a bid to assemble a strong squad capable of landing the League title, the Bianconerri have made strategic signings, bringing in Douglas Luiz, Juan Cabal, Michele Di Gregorio, and Khéphren Thuram to strengthen critical areas of the squad. Meanwhile, promising talents from Juventus Next Gen, such as Jonas Rouhi, Nicolò Savona, and Kenan Yildiz, have shown potential, suggesting they might break into the first team in the upcoming season.

However, the first sight and indications of ‘Motta ball’ have been far from impressive. Perhaps, a sign of difficulty in transitioning to an already accustomed ‘sit back and counter’ football that was exhibited under Allegri.

The Brazilian-born Italian manager has faced a challenging start at Juventus, with a 3-0 defeat against Bundesliga second-division side, Nurnberg. A 2-2 draw against Ligue 1 side, Brest soon followed with the defence being lacklustre yet again.

Motta will now be heading to his first Serie A game as Juventus manager without a win, after losing the final preseason game 2-0 to Atletico Madrid.

Como, meanwhile, had a remarkable league season last year, earning promotion to Serie A for the first time since the 2002-03 season.

Preparations are progressing well for the new season, with notable additions joining the team over the summer, such as ex-Manchester United defender Raphael Varane and experienced goalkeeper Pepe Reina, as head coach Cesc Fabregas aims to ensure Serie A survival.

Cesc Fabregas, will lead Como’s return to the top division after 21 years, starting next week with an away match against the Serie A powerhouse Juventus.

After the promotion, the former Arsenal and Chelsea star succeeded Welsh manager Osian Roberts, who was promoted to head of development at a club managed by the wealthiest owners in Italian football.

As a minority stakeholder, Fabregas shares the leadership’s goal of significantly impacting Serie A in the future, and his fellow World Cup champion Raphael Varane recently became their most notable acquisition to date.

Como’s pre-season friendlies included victories against Cagliari and Las Palmas, followed by a loss to Saudi giants Al-Hilal and a scoreless draw with Wolfsburg.

Their final pre-season match against Serie B team Sampdoria concluded with a 4-3 defeat in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw in regular time.

Having won 21 of their 38 league matches last season, the Lariani are anticipated to encounter more demanding challenges this season and the clash against Juventus will be their biggest test yet.

Juventus vs Como match details

• Date: Monday, 19 August, 2024
• Location: Turin, Italy
• Venue: Allianz Stadium
• Kick-off time: 07:45 BST, 06:45 UTC
• Tickets: Fans can purchase Juventus vs Como tickets through the club websites or via trusted resellers online.

Match stats and head-to-head

• Motta has failed to win any game since taking over as head coach. The former Bologna manager lost two and drew one.

• Como won two of their four preseason friendly matches.

• Since the Coppa Italia victory over Atalanta in May, Juventus have kept only one clean sheet in their next five games.

• The Bianconerri have conceded seven goals in three preseason matches, and have conceded ten goals in their last five matches.

• Motta’s side has only been able to score two goals since his appointment.

• Como have scored five goals and conceded just three in four preseason matches.

• Following I Biancoblù’s qualification to the Serie A, it will be the first time in 21 years the club will be playing in the Italian top flight since the 2002-03 season.

Team news

Cesc Fabregas would relish the chance of utilising some of his newest signings including Varane.

However, the former Manchester United centre-back is nursing an injury and his participation in the clash on Monday hinges on a late fitness test.

Pepe Reina is expected to be back up with Emil Audero set to continue in goal while former Liverpool wing-back Alberto Moreno adds more experience to the team and could be handed a start at left-back

Several other seasoned players with extensive Serie A experience have also joined this summer, including Andrea Belotti, who has scored 112 goals in Italy’s top division, although only six in the last two seasons—first at Roma, then Fiorentina.

Belotti may be partnered by Patrick Cutrone in the attack on Sunday when Cypriot full-back Nikolas Loannou will face his parent club.
For Juventus, Fabio Miretti is still currently injured and possibly out of contention bar a late recovery.

Douglas Luiz has been outstanding in preseason despite the poor results. The Brazilian could be handed a start on Monday night as Motta will count on him to dictate play.

Michele Di Gregorio is expected to start in goal following the termination of Wojciech Szczęsny’s contract.

Tiago Djalo’s future at Turin remains uncertain despite only joining the club last winter, leaving Gleison Bremer and Federico Gatti as the best options to start at centre-back.

Juan Cabal is also in contention for a start but Motta is likely to utilise Andrea Cambiasso who was instrumental to the coach during his spell at Bologna.

Arkadiusz Milik seems to be out of favour under Motta and the Pole is already searching for another club. Dusan Vlahovic is the club’s most experienced and most prolific centre-forward currently in the team and is expected to start.Predicted starting lineup

Predicted starting lineup

Juventus predicted starting lineup:

Di Gregorio; Danilo, Gatti, Bremer, Cambiaso; Luiz, Thuram; Weah, Fagioli, Mbangula; Vlahovic.

Como predicted starting lineup:

Audero; Kovacik, Goldaniga, Dossena, Moreno; Abildgaard, Mazzitelli; Strefezza, Cutrone, Da Cunha; Belotti.

Prediction

Two coaches who favour a possession-based game will square off against each other.

Motta is the more experienced manager in the League and has a more experienced squad.

Fabregas on the other hand achieved great success with lesser experienced players in Serie B but the Italian top flight is a completely different ballgame.

While the Spaniard’s side is expected to show their passing ability, Motta is expected to get the better of his other young coach with a strong midfield who is energetic and efficient on the ball.

We’re predicting a 2-1 win for Juventus.