Socrates

Grande Gigi.

Solito cambio: fuori Llorente, dentro Morata.

JUVENTUS - EMPOLI .- Saturday, April 4th, 2015 - 9:00 PM Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Piero Giacomelli HT 1-0: Tevez breaks down Empoli Apr 4, 2015 Carlos Tevez has been inspirational and given Juventus the half-time lead over impressive Empoli. The Bianconeri made changes, missing Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Pirlo, Paul Pogba, Kwadwo Asamoah, Martin Caceres, Kingsley Coman and Romulo, plus resting players ahead of the Coppa Italia semi-final with Fiorentina. Mirko Valdifiori was buoyed by his Italy debut against England in this very stadium earlier this week. Carlos Tevez forced the first save out of Luigi Sepe after four minutes, then the Apache left two defenders for dead with a sensational feint, but the goalkeeper rushed off his line to block. Arturo Vidal and Stephan Lichtsteiner both went for the same ball and eventually the Swiss international was denied by Sepe from close range. Massimo Maccarone fired wide of the near post, but Juventus took the lead when Daniele Rugani was judged to have made a back-pass to Sepe. The indirect kick was awarded on the outside corner of the six-yard box and it was touched on for Tevez, who smashed his finish into the roof of the net. There were numerous Empoli players on the line, so his only hope of scoring was to lift it with real power. Moments later, Tevez went on another strong run and Sepe smothered at the near post. Juventus 1-0 Empoli (Half-Time) Scorers: Tevez 43 (J) Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Ogbonna; Lichtsteiner, Sturaro, Padoin, Vidal, Evra; Tevez, Llorente Empoli: Sepe; Hysaj, Rugani, Barba, Mario Rui; Vecino, Valdifiori, Croce; Saponara; Maccarone, Pucciarelli Ref: Giacomelli http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

JUVENTUS - EMPOLI .- Saturday, April 4th, 2015 - 9:00 PM Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Piero Giacomelli Marotta: 'Yes Rugani, no Valdifiori' Apr 4, 2015 Beppe Marotta confirms Daniele Rugani will join Juventus next season, but denied interest in Empoli’s Mirko Valdifiori. “Our focus is on this match and three points that are fundamental for our Scudetto campaign,” general manager Marotta told Sky Sport Italia. “Empoli are a reference point for youth in Italian football and have always churned out some very interesting players. “Among these is Rugani, who we have bought and will be part of the Juventus squad next season.” There had been rumours of interest in his Empoli teammate Valdifiori, who at 28 made his Italy debut against England on Tuesday. “There are players who reach maturity at a more advanced age, like Valdifiori. I recognise his qualities, but at this moment we are not in negotiations for him.” http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

Il passaggio al portiere l'ha fatto proprio lo Juventino Rugani.

Straordinario Tevez.

10 CARLOS TEVEZ 1-0

Rugani la passa al portiere.

Carlos contro Mario.

Vidal colpisce male di testa.

Dai Padoin, vogliamo un tuo goal.

Grande Carlos, Sepe respinge.

Svegliati Fernando dai.

Bravo Pirloin.

Speriamo che Rugani non faccia inavvertitamente qualcosa che ci favorisca. Acquistato dalla Juve e tifoso della stessa, sai le polemiche ....

Alcune persone per i soldi fanno di tutto.

Ogbonna in difficoltá

JUVENTUS - EMPOLI .- Saturday, April 4th, 2015 - 9:00 PM Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Piero Giacomelli Line-ups: Juventus-Empoli Apr 4, 2015 Juventus have to reshuffle their squad against an Empoli side that plays some of the best football in Italy. It kicks off at 21.00 CET. Max Allegri has numerous injury problems to contend with, as Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Pirlo, Paul Pogba, Kwadwo Asamoah, Martin Caceres, Kingsley Coman and Romulo are unavailable. Alvaro Morata returns from suspension, but is rested in favour of Fernando Llorente, while SIMONE Padoin and Marco Sturaro get midfield nods. Empoli boss Maurizio Sarri has the full squad to choose from other than Tiberio Guarente, including a Mirko Valdifiori buoyed by his Italy debut against England in this stadium on Tuesday. Lorenzo Tonelli returns from injury, while Daniele Rugani has already signed a contract to join Juventus next season. Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Ogbonna; Lichtsteiner, Sturaro, Padoin, Vidal, Evra; Tevez, Llorente Juventus bench: Storari, Rubinho, Chiellini, De Ceglie, Marrone, Pepe, Vitale, Pereyra, Morata, Matri Empoli: Sepe; Hysaj, Rugani, Barba, Mario Rui; Vecino, Valdifiori, Croce; Saponara; Maccarone, Pucciarelli Empoli bench: Pugliesi, Bassi; Laurini, Signorelli, Mchedlidze, Tavano, Diousse, Verdi, Brillante, Tonelli, Zielinski, Somma http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

JUVENTUS - EMPOLI .- Saturday, April 4th, 2015 - 9:00 PM Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Piero Giacomelli Sarri: 'Empoli can control Juve' Apr 4, 2015 Maurizio Sarri assures Empoli “want to go for it and take control” against leaders Juventus this evening. “Our plan is to take control of the game,” said the Coach in his Press conference. “I am fully aware it won’t be easy, but we must approach it with this type of ‘madness’ because otherwise it’ll be even harder. We want to go for it. “I hope that we’ll play to have fun and do so without any pressure. Our aim is to counter Juve blow for blow, without being passive. “All the Juve players are strong, so it doesn’t matter who starts. It’s never easy after the break for international duty, but a fixture like this brings its own motivation. “We mustn’t let ourselves get intimidated by our opponents or the stadium. Our plan is to do something few have attempted at the Juventus Stadium: playing open and attacking football.” http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

JUVENTUS - EMPOLI .- Saturday, April 4th, 2015 - 9:00 PM Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Piero Giacomelli Juventus vs. Empoli Preview: Round 29 — Hitting the final turn Apr 4, 2015 How would you describe a 14-point lead in Serie A with 10 games to go? I'm sure something like "relaxing" is under consideration. What about "fantastic" or "extraordinary"? Those are good options, too. There are a lot of different directions we can go with this, and a lot of them would be the right way of describing things right now. You see, this is the situation Juventus finds itself in right now. As we come out of the final first and only international break in the 2015 portion of the schedule, Juve are bound for their fourth straight title barring any kind of epic collapse. And even with all of the injuries to key players going on right now, that's hard to see happening simply because of how Max Allegri has managed to adapt to whatever roster situation stands in front of him. So, we're just a short time from yet another step toward consecutive Scudetto No. 4 when Empoli travels to Juventus Stadium on Saturday night. Allegri knows his team is close, probably because the 14-point lead over Roma in the Serie A standings told him so. JuventusFC ✔ @juventusfcen .@OfficialAllegri: "We'd be two thirds of the way towards the Scudetto title with wins over Empoli and Parma." The massive lead in Serie A means two things: 1) Juventus can focus more on getting ready for the Champions League and Coppa Italia instead of trying to fend off any close competition and 2) Allegri can choose to tinker with the squad for the games that will truly decide Juventus' season over the next few weeks. Clearly all the injuries will compromise the second part a little bit, but the fact still remains that Juve can focus on bigger things if the need be. That's the good thing about having such a huge lead over the second-place team in the league right now. Juventus can't afford to become complacent because there are games on the schedule in the next few weeks that will have a much bigger impact than dropping a point or two in Serie A. JuventusFC ✔ @juventusfcen .@OfficialAllegri: "Empoli are on an eight-game unbeaten run. It's important for us to swiftly get back into the swing of things." GOOD NEWS I mentioned that 14-point lead, right? Yeah, let's just go with that one. Oh, and the fact that Juve has fared pretty well against Empoli over the years. JuventusFC ✔ @juventusfcen Saturday marks our 18th @SerieA_TIM meeting with the Azzurri: W12 D3 L2 is our record to date. BAD NEWS Have you seen the names on Juventus' injury list right now? Andrea Pirlo (calf) Claudio Marchisio (knee) Paul Pogba (hamstring) Martin Cáceres (ankle) Kwadwo Asamoah (knee) Romulo (groin) Kingsley Coman (muscle fatigue) Those names above would be a large part of a pretty good team right there, if you ask me. Maybe once they're all healthy Juventus should scrimmage them in a training session one day. WHAT TO WATCH FOR 1. SIMONE Padoin ... regista? This is what the giornalaccio rosa dello Sport is thinking Juventus' lineup will look like against Empoli as of Friday night: You will notice many players playing where they should be. Then there's where SIMONE Padoin is predicted to be playing against Empoli. LITERALLY SIMONE PADOIN AS JUVE'S REGISTA. I find this interesting seeing as Roberto Pereyra is healthy and back from international duty with Argentina just like predicted starter Carlos Tévez. But if this is true, then it will be some kind of spinoff of the MVP midfield we've become so accustomed to over the last few years. I mean, it's not like Padoin is going to suddenly become Pirlo and start spraying 50-yard balls all over the field like it's no big deal at all. If it was up to me, like my lineup below says, I'd rather have a midfield of Sturaro, Pereyra and Arturo Vidal play from the opening whistle. But that's just me. Apparently Mister Allegri has a different kind of idea. Like a #PadoinForRegista kind of idea. 2. Stefano Sturaro in the center of Juventus' midfield. While we can freak out about Padoin being Juve's regista, it seems pretty certain that all the injuries in the midfield is a chance to see Stefano Sturaro get some playing time. He's appeared in all of one game since his move from Genoa at the end of the winter transfer window. I was thinking he would slot in between Pereyra and Vidal in the midfield, but then the Padoin regista situation happened, so maybe my preference on how things should look is different compared to that of Allegri. No matter what, though, the injuries have created an opening for Sturaro — and that's a good thing. Well, the fact that Sturaro gets to play a little bit is a good thing, not the injuries. I think it's pretty well-established at this point that all the injuries Juventus has dealt with this season are all stupid and inconvenient. 3. Daniele Rugani at the center of Empoli's defense. Many people felt that Rugani, who is in the middle of a truly fantastic first Serie A campaign, should have been part of Antonio Conte's Italy squad during the latest international break. Instead, Rugani was down with the Under-21 squad. No matter what, though, Rugani will be playing against the club so many people expect him to be at next season. And, to be honest with you, he hasn't done anything to tell us he isn't ready to make the jump from Empoli to Juventus. Through 28 games, he still hasn't been shown a yellow card — something that continues to make me shake my head in amazement every time I see it. Even if Carlos Tévez doesn't play from the start tomorrow night, the potential Rugani-Álvaro Morata battle is going to be fun to watch. 4 Can Fernando Llorente lead the line? No matter if it's for Tévez or Morata, many folks in the Italian media are expecting the big Spaniard to start against Empoli Saturday night. We obviously don't need to go into deep analysis about the struggles Llorente has gone through this season. That's been talked about for months on end at this point. And unsurprisingly, the international break was filled with more the rumors surrounding his future in Turin and a possible move elsewhere this summer. The thinking is that if Tévez isn't too jet lagged he will get the start. If he can't go, then it will be Morata. We haven't seen all that much of the all-Spaniard strike combination this season, with mixed results being the final outcome to date. Maybe a couple weeks away from competitive games will be a good thing for Llorente. Then again, we've said that a decent number of times already this season. My starting XI (3-5-2): Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Ogbonna; Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Padoin, Pereyra, Evra; Morata, Llorente OFFICIAL KICKOFF TIME: 9 P.M. IN ITALY; 3 P.M. ON THE EAST COAST; HIGH NOON ON THE WEST COAST http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

JUVENTUS - EMPOLI .- Saturday, April 4th, 2015 - 9:00 PM Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Piero Giacomelli MATCH PREVIEW Apr 3, 2015 Runaway leaders Juventus host impressive Empoli on Saturday evening and the statistics suggest an even match. Juve may not have recorded a loss in their last 19 games, but the last time they won a match by more than one goal was seven rounds ago, against Milan. In fact, out of their 20 victories, almost half (nine) of them have been by one goal. Considering that statistic, it seems that Empoli have almost a 50/50 shot at keeping within touching distance until the final whistle. Add to that the fact that Empoli have both scored and conceded 30 goals this season, suddenly an apparent foregone conclusion may actually be more delicately balanced. Despite all the furore early this week about Claudio Marchisio’s knee injury sustained on international duty, the former Empoli man will likely make the bench. Andrea Pirlo and Paul Pogba miss out, however, with Arturo Vidal the only real first-choice central midfielder available. Empoli’s midfield, by contrast, has only been bolstered by the international break, with Mirko Valdifiori still buzzing from his Italy debut at Juventus Stadium against England on Tuesday. If that confidence spreads to his teammates, Juventus’ unfamiliar central midfield (although Roberto Pereyra has played more games than Pirlo, Vidal or Pogba this season) may have to stay especially mindful of their defensive duties, should their forward line once again not be as clinical as hoped. Having only lost one Serie A match this season, Juve appear to be pretty much unstoppable – especially at home, where they have dropped points only twice out of 14 confrontations, and have scored four more goals than Empoli have home and away put together. However, if Empoli can indeed keep within that one goal margin, their experienced strike-force will always have a chance of scraping their side a positive result. Juventus’ width and their dynamic style will most likely be enough to chalk up another victory, with Vidal and Carlos Tevez contributing 22 out of Juve’s 55 goals for this season, but if Empoli can take advantage of the international interruption then there could well be a stutter in the Juventus machine. Keep an eye on: Carlos Tevez (Juventus) – Having scored 16 times this season, don’t be surprised if the recently internationally recalled Argentine again claims the points for his side. Last Season: Not played Form Guide: Juventus (W D W W W) - Empoli (W D D D W) Stat Fact: Empoli were last in Serie A in the 2007-2008 season with current Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio on their BOOKS, as well as former Juve man Sebastian Giovinco. Juventus (probable): Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Sturaro, Pereyra, Evra; Morata, Tevez Empoli (probable): Sepe; Hysaj, Rugani, Tonelli, Mario Rui; Vecino, Valdifiori, Croce; Saponara; Maccarone, Tavano http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

JUVENTUS - EMPOLI .- Saturday, April 4th, 2015 - 9:00 PM Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Piero Giacomelli JUVENTUS V EMPOLI MATCH PREVIEW Apr 3, 2015 Juventus Juventus return to action after the international break to face an Empoli side undefeated in their last 8 Serie A games. The Bianconeri boast an equally impressive league record, having suffered just one loss all season to date, going the last 19 games unbeaten notching up an impressive 13 WINS along the way. Juve’s recent domestic form hasn’t been as strong as their early season performances, but that’s only to be expected given their 14 point lead at the top of the table combined with a string of injuries to key midfield players like Andrea Pirlo and Paul Pogba. Coach Max Allegri was keen to remind people that the Scudetto is far from secure and Juve still have a way to go before securing up their 4th title in a row. “We’re 10 matches from the end, and we’re still missing a few points and a few victories to WIN the Scudetto.” Allegri said in his pre-match press conference earlier today. “I think two-thirds of the Scudetto will be won if we beat Empoli and Parma.” Allegri will have limited options against Empoli as the international break has taken its toll in more ways than one. “I’d say that for tomorrow there are a lot of question marks, because the last two only returned yesterday, Tevez and Pereyra. “Today I’ll have to evaluate the conditions of both, as well as the conditions of the others in the only training session we have to prepare for the game. “For the regista? I don’t know, it depends on training today. Pirlo is definitely out. We don’t have Marchisio, we don’t have Pogba. “So the midfielders we have available are Sturaro, Vidal, Padoin and Pereyra. “As for which of those will play in front of the defence, we could even play Vidal there, we’ll see.” With all this in mind it’s very likely, given Empoli’s recent run of form and Juve’s injury woes, that we’ll see Allegri use a 3-5-2 over a 4-3-1-2. Gianluigi Buffon and Leonardo Bonucci returned from international duty intact, while Allegri suggested Angelo Ogbonna is fit and could start the game tomorrow. The likelihood is Andrea Barzagli will complete the 3 man defence with Padoin or Arturo Vidal playing in front of them, depending on the formation. Roberto Pereyra only returned to Italy yesterday so it’s very possible that Stefano Sturaro may get a run out in the midfield while Patrice Evra and Stephan Lichtsteiner should both be ready to start on either flank. Carlos Tevez has been in great goal-scoring form in recent weeks and should have recovered from jet-lag to start alongside Alvaro Morata. Probable lineup 3-5-2: Buffon, Barzagli, Bonucci, Ogbonna; Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Padoin, Sturaro, Evra; Tevez, Morata Injured Players Asamoah and Romulo (Recovering from surgery), Pirlo, Caceres, Pogba, Marchisio, Marrone, Coman Suspended Players None Form (L-W-W-W-W) Empoli Empoli has been the most critically acclaimed team in the League so far and deservedly so. What they are accomplishing with no money is truly remarkable. They are comfortably 12 points clear from the relegation zone, despite having probably one of the bottom two rosters in the League in terms of quality. It’s not easy to pinpoint how they achieved that: continuity is certainly a factor, but they are basically fielding seven or eight guys that wouldn’t even be high level Serie B players in other clubs. One big reason is the command, the tactical genius and the low-key demeanor of the coach Maurizio Sarri, whose transition to Serie A football after years cutting his teeth in the lower leagues has not been only seamless, but utterly impressive. He hasn’t just continued to use the same possession football powered by short and smart passes, but he’s even having success with it on the biggest stage, with the same players he had in the previous seasions: they added only Luigi Sepe and Matias Vecino, both on loan, while Riccardo Saponara broke out here in 2012/2013. The environment is so uniquely quiet and relaxed: it’s the ideal situation to play football, especially for the youngsters who have yet to prove themselves. Their starting XI has been very consistent all year long, besides the attack, because the four strikers aren’t very good. Massimo Maccarone, Manuel Pucciarelli, Francesco Tavano and Levan Mchedlidze have combined for thirteen goals, which is less than 50% of the team’s whole contribution (and three less compared to Carlos Tevez on his own). Maccarone is the leading scorer with seven and he’s likely to partner up with Pucciarelli (who has resolved the standoff with the management over the contract extension) but really any of them has a chance to start. Riccardo Saponera, who returned in June, has added some unpredictability in the CAM position, previously occupied by Simone Verdi, who’s more of a role player. They have found goals elsewhere, in particular in dead ball situations. Lorenzo Tonelli and Daniele Rugani have been the key components of what has been the fifth best defense in Italy so far; moreover they have scored four and three goals respectively. Their midfield composed by Daniele Croce, Mirko Valdifiori and Matias Vecino is very muscular and balanced, brightened by the vision and passing of Valdifiori. They attack a lot down the flanks with the two fullbacks Elsejd Hysaj and Mario Rui, who has leapfrogged Vincent Laurini in the pecking order earlier in the season and is an authentic ENERGY bunny. Tonelli has missed some games before the break because of a bad ankle, but it looks like he’s ready to play: if he wasn’t, Federico Barba would take his spot and he has showed that he belongs in Serie A. As every respectable low-table team does, they have collected most of their points at home. They are acceptably bad on the road: they have won only once, but they have also drawn nine times. In the first match of the season, Juventus beat Empoli 2-0 thanks to an Andrea Pirlo magnificent FREE kick one hour into the game and with Alvaro Morata putting the finishing touch on the win ten minutes later. Probable Lineup 4-3-1-2: Sepe; Hysaj, Tonelli, Rugani, Rui; Croce, Valdifiori, Vecino; Saponara; Pucciarelli, Tavano Injured players Guarente Suspended Players None Form (W-D-D-D-W) Formation http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111

JUVENTUS - EMPOLI .- Saturday, April 4th, 2015 - 9:00 PM Juventus Stadium, Turin Referee: Piero Giacomelli Marchisio out of Juve-Empoli Apr 3, 2015 Claudio Marchisio and Kingsley Coman are among those out of tomorrow night’s Juventus-Empoli game. It kicks off on Saturday at 21.00 CET. There had been fears Marchisio would be out for six to eight months when he picked up a knee injury on international duty, but scans later showed no significant ligament damage. However, Coach Max Allegri won’t risk throwing him straight into the squad for this weekend’s encounter with his old club Empoli. Coman is also unavailable, as he sustained a muscular injury while playing for the France Under-21 side. Paul Pogba, Andrea Pirlo, Martin Caceres, Romulo and Kwadwo Asamoah are more long-term absentees. Juventus squad for Empoli: Buffon, Chiellini, Ogbonna, Pepe, Morata, Tevez, Llorente, Barzagli, De Ceglie, Bonucci, Padoin, Vidal, Vitale, Lichtsteiner, Sturaro, Storari, Matri, Evra, Rubinho, Pereyra, Marrone http://www.goal.com/en/results-standings/69/italy-serie-a/table?ICID=SP_TN_111