Juventus will be looking to get their 2019-20 Serie A campaign off to a winning start when they travel to the Stadio Ennio Tardini to face Parma on Saturday.
The Old Lady landed their eighth straight league title last season and will be attempting to continue their domination of Italian football under new head coach Maurizio Sarri.
Parma
© ReutersParma opened their 2019-20 campaign with a 3-1 win over Venezia in the Coppa Italia last weekend, with former Arsenal attacker Gervinho scoring twice for the Yellow and Blues at the Stadio Ennio Tardini.
The Crusaders will therefore enter this game off the back of a winning start, although there is no question that this will be a hugely difficult contest for a team that finished 14th in Italy's top flight last season.
Ten wins, 11 draws and 17 defeats - that is how Parma performed in Serie A last term. A total of 41 points saw them finish just three points clear of 18th-placed Empoli in what was their first season back in the top flight.
Indeed, the club were promoted back to Serie A at the end of the 2017-18 campaign following a difficult few years which had seen them declared bankrupt, ultimately leading to their reformation in Serie D.
It has been a busy window for the club in terms of transfers, with the likes of Andrea Adorante, Gaston Brugman, Mattia Sprocati, Yann Karamoh and Jose Machin arriving, while Gabriel Brazao, Leo Stulac and Antonio Di Gaudio are on the list of players that have moved on in this summer's transfer window.
Parma actually had the 11th-best away record in Italy's top flight during the 2018-19 campaign - Roberto D'Aversa's side found it difficult on their own patch, though, winning just five of their 19 matches, which represented the third-worst home record in the division.
Only Frosinone and Chievo - who were both relegated - scored fewer home league goals than Parma last season, meanwhile. The corresponding game last season ended in a 2-1 win for Juve, but Parma picked up a point in a 3-3 draw at the home of the Italian champions back in February.
D'Aversa's team will only play two Serie A matches before the September international break kicks in, with their clash against Juve followed by a trip to Udinese on September 1. Parma will then complete next month with fixtures against Cagliari, Lazio, Sassuolo and Torino.
It is a tough ask for the home side this weekend as they welcome the best that Italy have to offer. It might be a good time to face the Old Lady, though, as the first game of the season tends to bring with it a lot of unknowns.
Recent form (all competitions): W
Juventus
© ReutersSarri will not be in the dugout for Juve's Serie A opener this weekend, or indeed against Napoli on August 31, with the 60-year-old recovering from pneumonia. The Italian missed the friendly against Triestina last Saturday with what appeared to be the flu virus, before being diagnosed with the lung condition.
The club's vice-president Pavel Nedved gave Friday's pre-match press conference, where it was revealed that Sarri would return after the international break against Fiorentina on September 14.
The players will be keen to win for their new manager this weekend, particularly after a fairly lacklustre pre-season. Juve only played four friendlies over the summer - losing to Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid, beating Inter Milan on penalties and recording a narrow 1-0 victory over Triestina.
It is shaping up to be a very interesting campaign for the club when considering their summer recruitment. Matthijs de Ligt, Danilo, Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot are among those who have arrived, while Paulo Dybala is still with the club despite a host of speculation surrounding the Argentina international.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 28 times in 43 appearances during his first season with the Old Lady but just six of those goals came in the Champions League, where the club bowed out to Ajax in the quarter-finals.
Landing a 35th Italian title will be seen as a huge achievement, particularly as they finished 11 points clear of second-placed Napoli. That said, it would be fair to say that the Champions League is the trophy that the club really wanted last season, and there will be pressure on Sarri to deliver the European Cup.
As mentioned, it will be a very interesting start for the champions when considering that they will travel to Parma before hosting Napoli on August 31. Italian clubs can complete transfer business before September 2, and it will be fascinating to see whether anything else happens over the next couple of weeks.
Inter Milan's work in this summer's market suggests that the club - now managed by Antonio Conte - will expect to be a lot closer to Juve this season, while Napoli have showed some good signs in pre-season despite losing twice to Barcelona in their last two fixtures.
It is the start of a new era following Massimiliano Allegri's departure, and after a strong summer of recruitment, Juve chiefs will be expecting the club's trophy cabinet to be filled with more silverware at the end of the season.
Recent form (pre-season): LWLW
Team News
© ReutersParma will be without the services of teenage forward Adorante due to a serious knee injury, while Juraj Kucka is a slight doubt for the home side due to a knock which saw him miss out against Venezia.
There are not expected to be many surprises in the Parma XI on Saturday, with Gervinho, who scored twice against Juve in February, joining Roberto Inglese and Karamoh in the final third of the field.
Brazilian midfielder Hernani is also expected to start, in addition to 37-year-old centre-back Bruno Alves.
As for Juve, goalkeeper Mattia Perin is out with a shoulder problem, while Marko Pjaca will be absent as he recovers from a serious knee injury.
The champions otherwise have a full squad to choose from, though, and it will be very interesting to see which two players join Ronaldo in the final third of the field.
Federico Bernardeschi should feature in attack, while Dybala could also be given the nod ahead of Gonzalo Higuain despite the speculation surrounding the South American's future.
De Ligt, Ramsey and Rabiot are also in line to make their debuts for the club in Parma.
Parma possible starting lineup:
Sepe; Laurini, Iacoponi, Alves, Gagliolo; Kucka, Hernani, Barilla; Karamoh, Inglese, Gervinho
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; De Sciglio, De Ligt, Chiellini, Sandro; Ramsey, Pjanic, Rabiot; Bernardeschi, Ronaldo, Dybala
Head To Head
Parma recorded a 1-0 victory over Juve when the two teams locked horns at the Stadio Ennio Tardini in April 2015, with Jose Mauri scoring the only goal of the game.
As mentioned, Juve won 2-1 in the corresponding match last season, but the points were shared in a 3-3 draw at the home of the Italian champions in February.
The recent meetings between the two teams have been very close in terms of the scoreline with one glaring exception - the Old Lady recording a 7-0 home win in November 2014.
We say: Parma 1-2 Juventus
This is a very tough opening fixture for Juve. We fancy the Italian champions - boosted by a number of exciting new signings - to triumph, although Parma will give the visitors a tough examination on home soil.
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