Serie A: Frosinone Face an Impossible Juve Challenge

Juventus vs Frosinone

The Serie A summit still hosts the same old face.

Juventus are the kings of Italian football, and that factoid won’t be changing any time soon. While they still stumble every now and then, every club in the league knows that many of the Serie A 2019 betting audience would always side with the Bianconeri. The same thing rings true in their upcoming game against relegation favourites Frosinone.

There should be no way that the Canarini can mount a reversal at the storied Juventus Stadium. However, their most recent games offer a different look to the discerning football fan.

Talking Points

The invincibles begin to show their cracks

The league leaders are still comfortable inside their ivory tower as they are yet to experience a defeat in the league. If we take a look at Juve’s Serie A 2019 results, you will see nothing but notches on their win column.

In fact, the last time they lost a league game was in April 2018 when they welcomed the Sarriball-playing Napoli to their home grounds last season. Since then, they handily gave rivals like Chievo and Lazio losses and didn’t allow them any chance to get back in the game.

Cristiano Ronaldo is the Old Lady’s key man as he is still a fantastic player: the 24-year-old has an impressive tally of 18 goals and 7 assists in 22 league appearances. With still a lot of football to go in the season, we can expect the Portuguese superstar to keep on bringing in the goals be it on Italian soil or in Europe.

However, not everything has been peachy for Juventus. They have tasted defeat a couple of times in Europe, with their home loss to Manchester United being a particular highlight. Moreover, the 3-0 breakdown against Atalanta shows that even the best team drops points every now and then.

Massimiliano Allegri does not expect Juventus to beat their Serie A record haul — Massimiliano Allegri gestures during a Serie A match

Of course, their lapses does not immediately equate to opportunities for Frosinone. After all, Ronaldo isn’t the only man carrying the Juventus crest. With players like Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala still carrying their weight, there’s no reason for Juve to worry.

Even peas can disturb royalty

The best (albeit distant) analogy I can provide for Frosinone’s prospects in the match is the fairy tale of the Princess and the Pea. The Canarini are neck-deep in relegation hell, but Juventus won’t get much sleep if they just ignore their guests.

One look at the league table should tell you everything that you need to know from the visitors: they are relegation favourites who only won three of the 23 games they have played this season. They should have no business bothering the Old Lady.

However, they have been pulling off a number of fantastic results ever since Marco Baroni took over from Moreno Longo in December. They still have a patchy form that goes up and down, but the most recent results have been encouraging. Dominating fellow relegation battlers Bologna and stealing a win from Sampdoria points to the possibility of them avoiding relegation.

Of course, the team must pull off an absolute giant-killing in order to snag the three points from right under Juve’s noses. Marco Sportiello has the unenviable task of keeping against Cristiano Ronaldo. Camillo Ciano must involve the rest of the team into pulling off an upset. Raffaele Maiello must also pitch in with his creative play.

They are still the heavy underdogs here, but the possibility of them sneaking in and stealing the win exists.

History

As expected, Juventus dominated Frosinone whenever they played. The first time they met on the football pitch was during the 2006/07 Serie B season, the only year in the last 19 years the Bianconeri were relegated. The Old Lady won four of the five matches they played, the only draw being the first time the two met again in the top flight in 2015.

Juve are the easy favourites to win, but their last three games have been anything but ideal. After their Coppa Italia loss to Atalanta that saw Massimiliano Allegri sent off, they allowed Parma to make a second-half fightback to finish the exciting match, 3-3. Frosinone’s huge upset of Sampdoria could give them enough momentum to at least try for a result in Turin.

Betting Tip

	Juventus vs Frosinone	Frosinone Asian Handicap +2.25 @ 1.96
	February 16, 03:30 (GMT+8)

If you like things safe, I will tell you to put all of your eggs in the Juventus basket. They have a terrific roster, a very capable manager in Allegri, and a winning tradition that isn’t like any other in the Italian top flight over the past ten years. A lot of SBOBET predictions see the league leaders continuing their excellent form as they steamroll their way to another Scudetto.

However, I implore the more adventurous punters to put a little faith in Frosinone. Things are looking up for the central Italian club, and there’s nothing more a risk taker would love more than to see a giant-killing happen in front of his very eyes.

This may be the romantic in me talking, but I believe that Frosinone could shock Juve come full time.