Reigning champions Juventus will kick off their title defense with a trip to Parma on Saturday, August 24th. Will Maurizio Sarri's first competitive game in charge of the Bianconeri prove to be an easy test or a stumbling block?

Preview: Parma vs Juventus

Last season saw Parma make a return to the top flight after a four year absence slogging it out in the lower tiers, and the Crociati peformed solidly, securing 14th place to make sure they guaranteed themselves a place at the top table for another campaign. This time around, they certainly will be aiming to do better, with perhaps a top-half finish the ultimate goal. Roberto D'Aversa's men had a solid pre-season campaign, picking up two wins and a draw from their four matches, and that includes an impressive 2-1 win over fellow Serie A side Sampdoria.

Starting off the season taking on the reigning Serie A champions is no easy feat, but Parma notably did manage to hold Juventus to a very impressive three-all draw thanks to the heroics of Gervinho, who netted a late brace at the Allianz Stadium to silence the home crowd. Furthermore, Juventus have shown that they are not exactly infallible on opening day. Udinese famously - or infamously, if one is a La Vecchia Signora supporter - beat them on matchday one a couple of seasons back and Parma will certainly be hoping to take advantage of a team now under the guidance of a new tactician for the first time since 2014.

Indeed, Juventus are now again a team in transition. Massimiliano Allegri has departed after several successful seasons, and now Maurizio Sarri has been brought in as the Bianconeri board are hoping that Sarri can be the man to help them finally win the title that has eluded them for over two decades: the Champions League. Last term saw Juventus win yet another Scudetto, but they were shockingly dumped out of the Coppa Italia by smaller side Atalanta and came up short again in the Champions League.

At the minimum, Sarri will be expected to make sure Juve defend the Scudetto, win the Coppa Italia and successfully make it to the semi-finals in the Champions League this season, but there will be several other sides, including Napoli and Inter, who will be seriously aiming to stop Juventus this term.

Match facts and stats: Parma vs Juventus

  • Surprisingly, this fixture is pretty balanced when it comes to playing it at Parma's home turf
  • Head to head: Seven wins for Parma, seven for Juventus, and ten draws (dating back to 1990/1991)
  • This will be the fourth time Parma plays Juventus on MD 1 of the Serie A season
  • However, Parma have NEVER beaten Juventus on MD 1 (L3)

Team news: Parma vs Juventus

Parma: Adorante misses out due to a knee injury. The Crociati secured the permanent signing of Roberto Inglese from Napoli, who was on loan last season and he will feature up front alongside veteran attacker Gervinho, who was the team's top marksman last season with 11 goals.

Juventus: Only back-up goalkeeper Mattia Perin misses out due to a shoulder injury. Although Gigi Buffon is back for another spell at the club, he's not expected to displace Szczesny as the no. 1 man in between the posts for this game. New signing Danilo is likely to be given his first start in this fixture. 

Key talking points ahead of Parma vs Juventus

No Sarri on the bench for season opener

New coach Maurizio Sarri has been diagnosed with pneumonia ahead of Juventus's season opener against Parma and will not be on the bench. The club first claimed he had the "flu" that caused him to miss the annual pre-season friendly match Juve plays against the Primavera side but further tests have indicated that it's way more serious than just the flu and unfortunately, Sarri will also miss the game against his former side, Napoli on matchday two.

That means his assistant, Giovanni Martusciello, will be in charge of La Vecchia Signora for the team's upcoming two fixtures.

Disgruntled Dybala still with the squad - and can use that to his advantage

Sarri's arrival means that Juventus have tried to get rid of Paulo Dybala all summer, but nothing has come to fruition. A deal with Manchester United broke down, as another with Tottenham as Sarri reportedly did not see any space for the 25-year-old Argentinan star in his set-up for one reason or another. Furthermore, many reports indicated that Dybala himself did not want to move to Old Trafford as they are not competing in the Champions League, while Tottenham were not able to meet his salary demands.

As a result, Dybala is still a Juventus player and will be expected to feature in the starting XI against Parma along with Cristiano Ronaldo this weekend. He certainly will have a major point to prove that Juventus - and Sarri - would be quite foolish to part ways with him before the transfer window closes next week.

Where to watch Parma vs Juventus on August 24, 2019

In the USA, tune in to Parma vs Juventus on ESPN+ and Rai Italia America.

Can't make it to the stadium? Fans in Italy can catch Parma vs Juve on Sky Calcio 1, SKY Go Italia, Sky Supercalcio HD, and Sky Sport Serie A

Premier Sports 1 and Premier Player HD will be showing Parma vs Juventus in the UK.

Live elsewhere? Here are your options to follow Parma vs Juventus:

 

Detalhes do jogo, resultados e informações da transmissão original

Parma 0 - 1 Juventus

agosto 24, 2019 12:00Stadio Ennio Tardini (Parma)

Este jogo terminou. Abaixo estão as listagens de transmissões originais - Live para este jogo.

Cobertura Televisiva em Directo e Streaming em United States

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