Game Time Thread: Juventus vs. Sampdoria

It’s been two weeks since we last saw Juventus on a field together as they scrapped together a 2-1 win over one of the worst Serie A sides in recent history, Benevento. It was nothing close to pretty, nothing close to being ideal, nothing close to just about any kind of word choice that invokes any kind of positivity other than “they won.”

I don’t think anybody is going to be looking back on that game two weeks ago and adding it to the file of great Juventus games of the past few years.

Nope, not even close to it.

Good thing we’ve had two weeks to think about it, right? And it’s not like anything else has gone on in the country when it comes to the calcio world to occupy our minds...

Juventus opens a crucial stretch of games both domestically and in Europe this afternoon in Genoa against Sampdoria. The same Sampdoria side that, as maybe a surprise to some, has one of the best attacks in Serie A this season and entered the weekend sitting in sixth place.

But now we get to see what a near-full strength list of options for Max Allegri can do with Barcelona coming to Turin on the horizon.

Does Allegri rest some key players with the Spanish giants in mind?

Does he roll with a full-strength lineup in hopes of building some momentum ahead of the Barcelona fixture?

Who really knows. Other than Max, of course.

MATCH INFO

Location: Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris, Genoa, Italy

Kickoff time: 3 p.m. local time in Italy; 2 p.m. in the United Kingdom; 9 a.m. on the East Coast; 6 a.m. on the West Coast

STARTING LINEUPS

Juventus starting XI (4-2-3-1): Szczesny; Lichtsteiner, Rugani, Chiellini, Asamoah; Pjanic, Khedira; Cuadrado, Bernardeschi, Mandzukic; Higuain

Juventus bench: Buffon, Pinsoglio, De Sciglio, Benatia, Barzagli, Howedes, Marchisio, Matuidi, Alex Sandro, Sturaro, Douglas Costa, Dybala

Sampdoria starting XI (4-3-1-2): Viviano; Strinic, Ferrari, Silvestre, Bereszynski; Praet, Torreira, Barreto; Ramirez; Zapata, Quagliarella

WATCH IT

TV: beIN SPORTS USA, Rai Italia America (United States); beIN Sports Canada, Rai Italia America (Canada); BT Sport 3 (United Kingdom); Sky Calcio 1, PremiumSport 2 HD, Sky Sport 1 HD Italia (Italy)

Online/Mobile: fuboTV, beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A. (United States); DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada, beIN SPORTS CONNECT Canada (Canada); BT Sport Live (United Kingdom); SKY Go Italia, Premium Play (Italy)

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