Although under extreme circumstances, Serie A is finally returning, so Vilizar Yakimov evaluates the chances of each Scudetto contender, starting from Juventus.
We all knew Serie A would be unpredictable this term, but the COVID-19 world crisis and the interruption of the league take the Scudetto battle to a whole different level.
Juventus, Lazio and Inter clearly declared their title ambitions throughout the campaign, but after nearly 90 days without any action, the remaining 12 rounds will be played under unusual circumstances.
Five substitutions, no fans in the stadiums and a tight schedule of games in the summer are only some of the changes that teams must adapt to, so who has the upper hand?
It seems only right to evaluate that question by starting from Juventus. The Bianconeri can still be considered as Scudetto favourites, and do lead by one point, but Maurizio Sarri has a growing list of problems to take care of.
Paulo Dybala, Blaise Matuidi and Daniele Rugani all tested positive during the stop before shaking off the Coronavirus and recently La Joya confessed that he is not at his best physically. Gonzalo Higuain and Giorgio Chiellini already got hurt only a few days after returning to training, while Douglas Costa had once again failed to feature regularly throughout the season due to various injuries.
Considering that Juventus has the oldest squad in the league, Sarri should be extremely careful with managing the physical condition of his players, as putting Serie A aside, the Bianconeri are also in the hunt for both the Champions League and the Coppa Italia.
However, mentality is just as important, so with several players including Miralem Pjanic, Federico Bernardeschi, Adrien Rabiot and Higuain linked with moves away from Turin, the Juventus management needs to make sure their heads are in the right place. Continue reading