Juventus-Rijeka is a friendly and will be played on Thursday at 14:00: news, statistics, live TV, likely formations, predictions
An almost surprise “blunt” friendly. Yes, because the test between Juventus and the Croatians of Rijeka, in fact, was only made official at the last moment, just a few days after the one that saw the Bianconeri in London against Arsenal last Saturday.
The Old Lady’s first outing after the long break for the World Cup coincided with a 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium, decided by Xhaka and Holding’s unlucky own goals. It was, however, a performance of substance from Massimiliano Allegri’s men, not too dissimilar to those offered just before the break. And that allowed the coach from Livorno to bring home six consecutive victories, without conceding a goal. The ‘London’ Juventus, full of elements that usually play in the Next Gen (Riccio, Barbieri and Barrenechea started as starters), had the merit of resisting the Gunners’ continuous offensive sorties. The Gunners were in control of the game, but were unable to translate the huge amount of play into goals, crashing into a defensively organised and competitive team despite the numerous absences.
The youngsters, therefore, continue to give important answers to Allegri. Who against Rijeka could decide to field another experimental line-up, despite the fact that the veterans from the world championships are returning to training.
Excluding Di Maria, Paredes and Rabiot, who were involved in the final in Lusail last Sunday, McKennie and Kostic are also back available. Both are expected to start on the first day in the now tried and tested 3-5-1-1, with Miretti behind Kean, the only striker. Both Barbieri and Riccio are confirmed in the starting eleven. Rijeka are only eighth in the Croatian championship and a few weeks ago they dismissed Italian coach Serse Cosmi after a heavy 7-2 defeat against Dinamo Zagreb.
Grgic from Rijeka
The Prediction
Allegri’s luck at the moment is his youngsters, who should not disappoint even in the friendly (behind closed doors) against Rijeka. Juventus are likely to pull off a convincing win and keep their goal unbeaten again
Juventus v Rijeka likely line-up
- JUVENTUS (3-5-1-1): Perin; Riccio, Gatti, Huijsen; Barbieri, McKennie, Locatelli, Fagioli, Kostic; Miretti; Kean.
- RIJEKA (3-5-2): Labrovic; Vukcevic, Pavlovic, Smolcic; Grgic, Selahi, P. Alvarez, Hodza, Ampem; Halilovic, Obregon.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-0
