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- Serie A Preview: Paulo Dybala Determined To Turn Juventus Season Around Against Chievo
Serie A Preview: Paulo Dybala Determined To Turn Juventus Season Around Against Chievo
Juventus hosts Chievo with Paulo Dybala determined to end a winless start and deal a first loss to the unlikely early Serie A leaders.
Paulo Dybala is keen for Juventus to show the club still has the quality to win Serie A when it welcomes a Chievo side in good form to Turin on Saturday.
Massimiliano Allegri's men are seeking a fifth consecutive Scudetto after winning the league and the Coppa Italia as well as reaching UEFA Champions League final last season.
But Juve has made an extremely disappointing start to the new campaign, losing its opening two games to Udinese and prospective title rival Roma, respectively.
By contrast, Chievo is top of the table after a 3-1 win over Empoli and a 4-0 hammering of Lazio, thanks in part to Alberto Paloschi, whose double took his tally to three goals in two matches.
Juve is set to be boosted by the return of midfielder Claudio Marchisio from a muscle injury, while Hernanes and Mario Lemina could make their debuts for the club following deadline-day moves.
But Sami Khedira is still out with a thigh injury and Kwadwo Asamoah has not yet recovered from his knee troubles. Goalkeeper Rubinho and defender Patrice Evra are suspended.
Despite those absentees, Dybala is hopeful that Juve can prove a point and deal Chievo its first loss.
"[Chievo is] coming off two wins, and they beat Lazio 4-0," he told JTV. "They're fired up, and they'll come here for a very important match to try to take three points home with them. We've worked very hard during the week, and players have come back from international duty, so everything is in place.
"The injured players are back, so the team is now at 100 percent, and we want to show we can win the Scudetto again."
Chievo's magnificent start to the campaign will have surprised many after the club finished 14th last season.
The meeting with Juve will see Simone Pepe return to his former club after he made the switch to the Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi last month. And Chievo's perfect record so far has not altered the 32-year-old's expectations for the remainder of the season.
Pepe told Gazzetta dello Sport: "It's fantastic, but we still have our feet on the ground. We've started very well, but we're fighting to avoid relegation. So first we achieve safety, then we can enjoy ourselves."