Juventus’ poor season has hit a new low as they were defeated by former rivals Napoli and newly promoted Monza, leaving them in 13th place in the Serie A table, 14 points behind the top six, and even behind city rivals Torino.
The 14-time Coppa Italia winners will look to salvage some pride in the cup competitions, starting with a quarter-final match against Lazio, where they hope to set up a semi-final against either Inter or Atalanta.
Juventus reached the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over Monza thanks to goals from Federico Chiesa and Moise Kean, before they met in Serie A last Sunday, where Juventus lost by 2-0 at Allianz Stadium.
Despite losing to Juventus in their last Serie A meeting, Lazio, under former Juventus coach Maurizio Sarri, are in strong form, sitting 15 points above Juventus in the standings and vying for a return to the top four.
Lazio, like Juventus, received a bye in the Coppa Italia’s last 16 and advanced past Bologna, and will aim to end their recent frustration in the quarter-finals.
Team news and probable lineups
Juventus had hoped to get Paul Pogba back for his official debut, but he was ruled out due to flexor discomfort. However, Dusan Vlahovic is available and could start from the beginning.
Mattia De Sciglio made his return to the first XI at the weekend, though, and 2021 cup final match-winner Federico Chiesa could overcome a thigh problem to play from the beginning.
Captain Leonardo Bonucci recently rejoined full training too, but is not expected to return just yet, while Juan Cuadrado’s presence remains in some doubt.
Further reducing Max Allegri’s options, Weston McKennie has joined Leeds United on loan and Arkadiusz Milik has been ruled out until March by a thigh injury.
Juventus probable starting lineup: Perin; Danilo, Bremer, Sandro; Cuadrado, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Chiesa; Vlahovic.
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