Serie A Fixtures: Juventus Need to Come Out Firing

The Serie A schedule was released on Wednesday July 27 and Juventus will want to hit a winning stride right away. The season opener finds Juventus on the road against Udinese. Even though Udinese finished last year in fourth, I don't see them nearly as competitive this year unless they bring in some talent quickly. I fully expect the home opener against Parma to be all Juve. The atmosphere will be absolutely electrifying and expect the players to want to impress for what is sure to be a packed crowd. After Parma, the next two opponents are Siena and Bologna. Nothing is guaranteed with Juventus, especially after last year, but winning should come easy against these two opponents which could leave Juventus 4-0 before the tougher opponents. Obviously winning every game is the goal but more realistically Juve need to win those four games to make some insurance for potential slides (look ahead to November). The next four games will see a mix of opponents with an always difficult away match in Catania, last years champs Milan, Chievo, and Genoa. After that will be, what is most likely, the toughest part of the season.
The next month of games will be against Fiorentina, Inter, Napoli, Palermo, and Lazio. The only reassuring aspect of this stretch is the possible effect that The Champions League and The Europa League will take on these opponents. The first two days of November belong to Champions League, leaving the possibility that Inter may want to rest some players on October 30 and leave Napoli fatigued on November 6. The final six games play out nicely for La Vecchia Signora with Roma being the only team that finished higher than them last year. In those final six games, Juventus will play two recently promoted teams in Novara and Atalanta, and a few of last year's bottom dwellers in the form of Cagliari, Cesena, and Lecce.
The way that this schedule plays out, Juventus needs to come out and win right away to get ready for the tough stretch in November. They cannot be complacent with draws. The absence of European football may give them a slight advantage over the top teams. The end of the schedule couldn't have been better for Juve. With weaker opponents, the end will be key for regaining any ground if necessary. As always, no game is guaranteed and especially in Italy, where competition is aplenty. This year should be an absolute war and, with only three champions league spots on the line, every game matters that much more. Forza Juve!