Juventus and Roma clash in the Serie A derby this Saturday. While the guests have to win and keep the pace with Inter in the title race, Juventus needs a triumph to join the race for the top. From what we saw, these teams are in a light crisis right now, or to say the least, have huge oscillations.

While Inter has 33 points, Roma has three fewer, and Juve sits 5th with 26 points. The prestige is another big motive here, as these are the Italian calcio powerhouses. Among the most popular teams in Europe.

Both teams rely heavily on defense, and it’s expected not to see too many goals. In fact, a good part of the pundits think this will end goalless. What we see will come in the following paragraphs.

For more Serie A odds, follow the link.

Juventus VS Roma Preview

Juventus

The host has a solid stretch of results. The team from Turin doesn’t lose too much, and recently they managed to win in 5 of the last 6 meetings. The sole loss was in Naples against Napoli, 2-1. Though after that, the Old Lady bounced back with back-to-back triumphs, keeping clean sheets in each of those events.

First, Juve beat Phaphos in the UCL, 2-0, before triumphing in Bologna, 0-1. That game could be a turning point for Juve, because they defeated a respectable team in a very hostile stadium.

The problem for Juventus at home is that even if they don’t suffer losses, they rarely win. Over the last 10 contests in Turin across all competitions, they have 5 wins and ties. And that’s why Juventus isn’t placed higher in the Serie A standings. By the way, four of the previous 5 home games Juve had were with moderate efficiency, that is 2 or 3 goals.

Roma

For a long time, Roma held the top of the Serie A standings. Though back-to-back losses, one at home to Napoli and the other in Cagliari, both 0-1. pushed Il Lupi down. And since the Serie A competition is ruthless, Roma is now fourth.

A good thing is that Gasperini’s unit managed to recover, beating Celtic in Glasgow in the Europa League, 0-3, and then posting another triumph, this time over Como, 1-0. As you can see, the defense is again working its job, providing clean sheets.

Roma is incredibly tough away: five wins and two defeats in seven games, with a total goal difference of 8 scored and 4 conceded. It had three clean sheets during this stretch. Defense is their primary goal this season, which is a bit strange given that Gasperini is in charge, as he and Atalanta played very appealing football in previous years.

Juventus VS Roma Head to Head

The last three meetings finished with a tie. Last year, it was 0-0 in Turin and 1-1 in Rome. Also, the latest six contests between these teams saw under 2.5 goals, and that happened 8 times in the last 10 encounters. So even the tradition suggests a low-scoring affair here.

Juventus VS Roma Predictions

Do we really need to explain why under 2.5 goals is our pick for this contest? Ok, here goes for those with cheaper tickets.

First of all, Roma defends fiercely, and that’s their game plan. Meanwhile, Juventus also relies on its defense and isn’t keen to attack and try to open the rivals. WE’ve seen that so many times this year, and that’s something especially visible when the Old Lady plays in Turin. They failed against much weaker teams to breach the back line.

So, the logical thing is to bet on low efficiency, and that’s how we get to under 2.5 goals.

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