Contemplating the change Serie A made a few years in the past in relation to the ritorno not mirroring the andata, this isn’t a shock to anyone anymore. However when the second half of the season formally arrives and the primary opponent up is a membership you performed all of two months in the past, it’s an attention-grabbing little twist on issues.
Plus, it’s additionally the primary opponent that Luciano Spalletti confronted after turning into Juventus’ supervisor.
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Again on the primary day of November, Spalletti’s tenure at Juve started . And guess who’s making their solution to Turin for a little bit little bit of Monday night time soccer? It’s Davide Nicola, his fantastic head of hair and his Cremonese squad. They’re not precisely flying excessive and taking factors off large golf equipment proper and left like they had been after they had been one of many early-season success tales, nevertheless it’s a reminder that Juventus have modified for the higher within the two-plus months that Spalletti has been in cost.
So much has occurred since that win in Cremona.
Fortunately, it has concerned Juve successful 10 of their 14 video games in all competitions since Spalletti took cost. He has introduced stability to a staff that desperately wanted it from their supervisor. He has began to place his stamp on the squad even when you think about that almost 2 1/2 months isn’t really a protracted period of time — particularly when it comes mid-season throughout a busy a part of the schedule with three video games inside seven or eight days.
“We’ve improved in lots of areas since my first match as Juventus coach,” Spalletti mentioned throughout his pre-match press convention on Sunday, “however there are others the place we nonetheless want to enhance, as they’re an integral a part of right now’s soccer.”
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Like what, Luciano?
“Shortly successful again a misplaced ball, apart from supplying you with confidence, lets you decide up the place you left off, and that is an space the place we nonetheless have to work,” Spalletti continued. “Total, nevertheless, I can say we’re heading in the right direction, however we have to repeat the optimistic performances in each sport, discover consistency sport after sport and throughout the video games themselves. We should be good, humble, and free from hesitation and concern.”
All of that’s good to listen to — particularly from the person who’s now making the selections about how he needs this Juventus squad to play. Simply how shut they’re to what Spalletti needs to see from them stays to be seen, however you possibly can see that he’s beginning to like what he sees from his staff on high of the easy incontrovertible fact that they’re successful.
With a win over Cremonese on Monday night time, Juventus would pull even on factors Spalletti’s former squad, Napoli, within the Serie A desk. That’s because of Napoli — who nonetheless have a sport in hand because of their participation within the Supercoppa — scoring late on the San Siro and taking part in to a 2-2 draw with Inter on Sunday night time, a consequence that despatched the 2023-24 Italian champions three factors clear on the high of the desk whereas additionally having a sport in hand. Relying on what the ultimate in Turin, it may see Juventus soar over Roma in fourth and even Napoli in third, which will surely be an enormous growth with how tightly contested issues have been in Serie A by way of the primary half of the season.
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Whereas Juve have discovered some optimistic type since their first assembly with Cremonese, the identical can’t be mentioned for Nicola’s squad.
Cremonese has recorded simply two wins since shedding to Juventus on Nov. 1, with these victories coming to start out the month of December towards Bologna and Lecce. Their struggles over the past two months have led to their anticipated slide down the Serie A desk, as they’ll journey to Turin in thirteenth place.
So that you mix the truth that greater than only one consequence went Juventus’ means in the course of the weekend fixtures and Cremonese are positively on the battle bus proper now and haven’t gained in over a month, that is one other probability for Spalletti and Juventus to benefit from your entire state of affairs and get even nearer to the chaos that has been the highest three groups in Serie A this season.
Let’s simply hope the third sport of 2026 is extra like the second reasonably than the primary towards a provincial facet.
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TEAM NEWS
Francisco Conceição stays a doubt to face Cremonese on Monday after coaching away from the group for a lot of the previous week.
Lloyd Kelly, nevertheless, returned to coaching with the remainder of the group earlier this week and shall be accessible to face Cremonese. It’s but to be seen if it is going to be Kelly or Teun Koopmeiners beginning in protection.
The opposite accidents are those we’ve recognized about for a very good period of time now: Dusan Vlahovic, Federico Gatti, Daniele Rugani, Arek Milik and Jonas Rouhi.
With Conceição nonetheless a doubt, it may very nicely imply a second straight begin for Fabio Miretti in a complicated midfield function. Spalletti described Miretti as “a really helpful participant for us,” and someone who “has room for enchancment, has a powerful drive, and battles in midfield. I’m proud of the midfielders I’ve in my squad.”
With almost every week in between the win over Sassuolo and Monday night time’s matchup with Cremonese, Spalletti just isn’t anticipated to make many different modifications to the beginning lineup.
Simply was because the case towards Sassuolo, Manuel Locatelli stays one yellow card away from having to serve a one-game suspension.
JUVENTUS PLAYER TO WATCH
I believe that is a simple one. Guessing you most likely really feel the identical means.
We don’t hear Spalletti declaring who’s beginning usually in his pre-match press conferences. However he did it along with his beginning striker for Monday night time’s matchup with Cremonese. And it’s with the identical man who was in celebrating his aim with throughout Juve’s win 5 days earlier.
Spalletti made it crystal clear: Jonathan David is beginning towards Cremonese. He mentioned the phrases — and people aren’t phrases we hear Spalletti say about just about anyone since turning into Juventus’ supervisor. Contemplating the efficiency that he’s coming off of within the win over Sassuolo, that most likely isn’t an enormous shock. But it surely’s nonetheless an indication that Spalletti is sticking with David at a time by which some continuity will hopefully do an entire lot of fine as he tries to show his performances this season round.
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Truth is, although, there is no such thing as a denying that David was fairly dang good towards Sassuolo on Tuesday. It perhaps a comparatively low bar when you consider how he’s struggled for the overwhelming majority of the season, nevertheless it’s not nothing. Or, higher but, hopefully it’s not nothing. As a result of now it’s all about David persevering with what he did towards Sassuolo reasonably than slipping again into one other one of many brutal performances we’ve seen this season.
And as we all know, there’s an entire lot of massive fixtures ready Juventus in lower than two weeks from now. You begin getting on a pleasant little function now, then hopefully David can take that rising confidence right into a showdown with Napoli and the 2 remaining Champions League league section video games. (I do know, I do know, Spalletti mentioned at his press convention that Juve are actually not trying forward in any respect proper now, however that doesn’t imply we’ve to chorus from it.)
Or, as Sam pointed to :
May this be a turning level for him? Clearly the reply will are available his subsequent matches, however to have the psychological fortitude to provide you with this efficiency after the fusillade of criticism he endured over the weekend is a superb signal.
There is just one means for David to indicate that he may very nicely be beginning to flip a nook within the new 12 months — simply maintain the great occasions from the Mapei and produce them again with him to Turin and present it on the Allianz.
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MATCH INFO
When: Monday, Jan. 12, 2026.
The place: Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy.
Official kickoff time: 8:45 p.m. native time in Italy and throughout Europe, 7:45 p.m. in the UK, 2:45 p.m. Japanese time, 1:45 p.m. Central time, 11:45 a.m. Pacific time.
HOW TO WATCH
Tv: Sky Sport Calcio, Sky Sport 251 (Italy).
On-line/Streaming: , CBS Sports activities Golazo Community, DAZN USA, Amazon Prime Video (United States); DAZN Canada; fuboTV Canada (Canada); DAZN UK (United Kingdom); DAZN Italia, Sky Go Italia (Italy).
Different reside viewing choices might be discovered , and as all the time, you can too comply with together with us reside and all of the silly issues we are saying . If you happen to haven’t already, on Black & White & Learn All Over, and be part of within the dialogue under.