Valerio Pennicino
Catania may have a few flashes of brilliance, but it's almost certain that the steady foot of Juventus will win out in Sicily.
Sometimes I wonder if it would be best for a side to just surrender three points and rest their players rather than face a certain club. Fortunately, that's not the case for Catania hosting the unbeaten Juventus. Oh, sure, the rossazzurri lost last week to Inter Milan, but on the whole, the squad is capable of carving out chances. Granted, finishing can be a challenge, but it would take just one moment of brilliance from Pablo Barrientos and Alejandro Gómez to put the home side in front.
The problem is that Juventus have 90+ minutes of steady solid stamina to stand up to Catania's glittery flashes. Last year's scudetto winners announced last weekend that they have no intention of giving up their crown, beating previously unbeaten Napoli 2-0. The midfield is undoubtedly the best in Serie A, and while the defense can be shaky, Gigi Buffon is almost certain to rescue anything that slips through. And if the goals don't come from the starters, they'll come from the bench, as Paul Pogba and Martín Cáceres showed against the partenopei. Speaking of Pogba, he's favored to start in place of Arturo Vidal, who had quite the petulant look on his face last week when substituted.
Catania Injuries and Suspensions
Blazej Augustyn, Giuseppe Bellusci and Fabio Sciacca (injured), Keko and Pietro Terracciano (in doubt)
The last time Augustyn played for Catania was April 2011, while Sciacca is a bench player. It's Bellusci. a versatile young defender, who is missed the most, although Nicolás Spolli is just fine in his place.
Juventus Injuries and Suspensions
In addition to everything else, does this squad have some sort of witch doctor healing their players? Gianluigi Buffon and Mirko Vucinic (both hurting after the international break) and Kwadwo Asamoah (who came off injured against Napoli) all return to face Catania.
Match Date/Time: Sunday, October 28 at 12:30 p.m. local time, 7:30 a.m. ET (note: this is not a typo; the European clocks change this weekend while the U.S. waits until next weekend).
Venue: Stadio Angelo Massimino, Catania
TV: Sky Calcio 1 (Italy), RAI Internazionale. Apparently BeIN Sports doesn't start programming this early.
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