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In the third round of Serie A, football fans will witness the heavyweight clash between Italy's Juventus and Roma, with a special spice to it. The match will feature Juventus against Roma at the Allianz Stadium, where Paulo Dybala spent several years. The match, which kicks off at 19:30 Lithuanian time, will be covered by the Eurofootball.com portal.
In their recent encounters, one match worth mentioning is the one that took place in January at the Olimpico Stadium in Rome. It was a game where it seemed like Roma would secure an easy victory after a superb goal from Lorenzo Pellegrini. Jose Mourinho's team initially led 3-1, but the 'Giallorossi' came back and won 4-3.
This match was significant because Roma's chances of breaking into the top four were alive before the match, but the defeat diminished those chances. Juventus' victory was crucial in the competition for a place in the Champions League until the end of the season. Additionally, AS Roma has only beaten Turin-based opponents twice in their last 10 matches.
Both teams' coaches - Jose Mourinho and Massimiliano Allegri - prefer a pragmatic style of play focused on winning rather than playing beautiful football. While Mourinho tends to use this style less frequently nowadays, Allegri has been implementing it more often. Juventus disappointed their fans in their recent match against Sampdoria, where they struggled offensively despite their defensive approach.
In their first match, Juventus controlled the game less than Sassuolo but still availed themselves of opportunities and won 3-0. As for Paulo Dybala, his return to Turin will be emotional as he spent seven years there, becoming a star and a legend for the club with 101 goals in Serie A and the Champions League.
Massimiliano Allegri expressed his pleasure at reuniting with Dybala, while Jose Mourinho expects a normal performance from the Argentine, praising his commitment to the team. The predicted line-ups are as follows: Juventus: Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, Bremer, Sandro; McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Cuadrado, Vlahovič, Kostič. Roma: Patricio; Ibanez, Smalling, Mancini; Spinazzola, Matić, Cristante, Karsdorp; Pellegrini, Dybala; Abraham.
Bookmakers favor Juventus with a 43% chance of winning, while Roma has a 32% chance, and a draw is rated at 25%. Furthermore, more than 50% of bets suggest there will be under 2.5 goals in the match, and there is a 58% chance of seeing more than 5.5 yellow cards in Dybala's return to face Roma.
A pragmatic style of football should prevail, with the result leaning towards AS Roma, as shown by their better performance in the first two matches despite narrow 1-0 wins. It wouldn't be surprising if Jose Mourinho's team starts the season with three consecutive 1-0 wins, making it the best opportunity for Roma to defeat Juventus.
Prediction: Juventus 0-1 AS Roma
