Serie A: Can Juventus End the Year Right?

Juventus vs Sampdoria

Juventus are off to one of their best starts in club history, but their immaculate record in the Serie A was nearly put in jeopardy in their draw with Atalanta the last time out. Now, the Bianconeri will hope to bounce back and end the year with a bang.

The Old Lady’s match with Sampdoria is their final game before they head to the winter break, so that should only add more motivation to a team that would certainly want to end what has already been a memorable 2018 on a winning note.

Sampdoria, of course, shouldn’t be taken lightly. After all, they are currently fifth in the league and are yet to lose this December.

Talking Points

Cristiano shouldn’t be the “only” man

Juventus are a strong team. Besides, they wouldn’t win the Italian top flight title for seven straight seasons if they weren’t that great.

However, one has to wonder if they would have been able to maintain their dominance if not for Cristiano Ronaldo, who transferred to Italy from Real Madrid this past summer.

The Bianconeri are still undefeated, sure. Nonetheless, most of their wins have been far less convincing, and it’s quite noticeable they aren’t as sharp as they used to be. In fact, one can say that they have been relying too much on Ronaldo in the Serie A while their purpose of signing him was to help them win the Champions League.

As we noted in our Juventus-Roma preview last week, the Bianconeri are winning ugly—which is both a good and bad thing.

Ronaldo stepped up versus Atalanta in another awful game for Juventus, scoring the equaliser with 12 minutes of regular time remaining. But with the way things are going, the Portuguese star undoubtedly needs all the help he can get.

Sampdoria, feeling lucky this December?

Sampdoria coach Marco Giampaolo expects his side to perform in their upcoming Serie A match with Juventus — Sampdoria coach Marco Giampaolo reacts during a match

After finishing 10th last year, Sampdoria are flying under the radar this season. While they haven’t been in the headlines of most Serie A 2018 news—no thanks to their neighbours and lack of star power—they have been playing well and are actually one of the contenders for a European spot.

As mentioned, they are still unbeaten in the league this December, winning five and drawing one of their six outings in all competitions. They are riding a three-game winning streak and have conceded just two goals during that stretch.

Marco Giampaolo’s men are also averaging almost three goals per game in the league this month, with their best win coming against Bologna (4-1).

Remarkably, Fabio Quagliarella has scored in all of Sampdoria’s December fixtures. He has accounted for six of the team’s 14 goals, a scoring streak that has propelled him to third in the top-scorers table. He now has 11 markers, one behind Ronaldo.

It remains to be seen if Sampdoria can build on the momentum and keep their streak heading to the break, but hopes are high that they can put up a fight against an up-and-down Juve squad.

History

Juventus lost only three times in their championship run last year. Interestingly, one of those defeats came at the hands of Sampdoria who bagged a 3-2 win at home.

Sampdoria scored three second-half goals back then to hand Juve only their second loss during that campaign. The Old Lady of Turin did manage to bank two goals in stoppage time, but the home team held their ground to pull off of the biggest upsets of the year.

Of course, in true Juve way, the champs bounced back in the reverse tie and thrashed their opponents with three unanswered goals at the Allianz Stadium.

Since the turn of 2010, the two clubs have fought in a total of 15 league matches. Juventus won eight of those while Sampdoria took only half (four), with the other three ending in a draw.

Betting Tip

	Juventus vs Sampdoria	First Half 1X2 Draw @ 2.65
	December 29, 19:30 (GMT+8)

Juventus are one of the best teams at home while Sampdoria haven’t really been that great on the road, having lost three of their five losses away from home.

With that said, the Serie A 2018 odds at SBOBET naturally lean on a Juventus domination rather than an upset from the visitors.

However, while Sampdoria are the underdogs, Juventus’ recent performances are quite concerning for me. Winning is one thing, but the way they are getting victories is another.

I believe Juve still have the edge—it’s just hard to beat a deep and talented roster—but I’m not writing off a close first half that could well end up goalless.