ExtraFootie previews the 'Game of the Weekend' in Serie A as second place Juventus hope to keep the pressure on table-toppers Inter Milan when they host Udinese at the Stadio Olimpico. "Juventus are strong and they play great football, but they cannot afford to slip up or they will lose further ground to Inter," legendary Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff told Il Corriere Dello Sport.
Sunday night's game will perhaps prove to be the acid test as to whether or not the Old Lady can fulfil Zoff’s musings, as they could be a massive eight points behind leaders and champions Inter Milan at kick-off.
On the back of a shock 3-2 defeat at home to Napoli prior to the international break, which they led 2-0, Ciro Ferrara’s men will be desperate to put aside their hokey-pokey home form and give the Juve faithful something to cheer about.
The news that veteran striker and captain Alessandro Del Piero is set to return to first-team action has come as a massive relief to the two-time European champions.
However, with Inter expected to beat Bologna on Saturday, and news that David Trezeguet has been ruled out for a month, suddenly, after a promising start to the new campaign, Juventus look vulnerable again.
Sunday's visitors have peeped into the Juve camp, and feeling slightly emboldened, are ready to put a dent in their title aspirations.
Despite suffering yet another home defeat prior to the international break when they were downed 1-0 by fourth place Fiorentina, Udinese midfielder Gaetano D'Agostino is adamant that the Zebrette are travelling to Turin with nothing but a victory on their minds.
"Playing Juventus is always a good motivation," he told Tuttosport. "We need points and consistency and I want to be there to play them,"he affirmed.
Surprisingly, the game has been by-and-large glossed over mostly due in part to the upcoming Derby D’Italia between the top two, which many are already tipping to be a potential title-decider.
Nevertheless, Juve coach Ciro Ferrara will know that to underestimate Udinese would be foolish.
Putting aside the fact that Pasquale Marino’s men currently lie in 14th place in Serie A on 15 points, the Udinese can, on their day, be a match for anyone.
They also boast the likes of the highly-rated Chilean youngster Mauricio Isla and the mercurial Antonio Di Natale who will be looking to get the better of defenders Juventus duo Fabio Cannavaro and Giorgio Chiellini.
It has been a while since club football has been in force so ExtraFootie would like to refresh your minds of the latest happenings in Serie A, by showcasing Juventus’ superb 5-2 win over Atalanta prior to the international break.