Preview: Juventus vs Cremonese - prediction, team news, lineups

Still on the fringe of Serie A’s title fight, Juventus will kick off the second half of their league campaign when they host Cremonese on Monday.

Juve swept aside Sassuolo last time out, continuing their mid-season revival, while mid-table Cremo let two points slip through their grasp.

Match preview

After missing out on a fifth straight win by drawing 1-1 with lowly Lecce, it took just three days for Juventus to get straight back on track.

The Bianconeri faced a tricky trip to Reggio Emilia in Serie A’s midweek round, but they went ahead within 16 minutes and were never really troubled by Sassuolo.

A cathartic strike from Jonathan David - who finally ended his top-flight goal drought - capped off an impressive 3-0 success, as the Canadian striker made some amends for a woeful penalty miss against Lecce.

Veteran coach Luciano Spalletti - whose initial contract expires at the end of this season - has led Juve’s recent revival, overseeing eight wins from their last 10 games across all competitions.

While Spalletti has openly spoken of challenging for the Scudetto, his main aim is to secure a top-four finish in May, with several clubs still chasing Champions League places.

As Juventus are currently unbeaten in 13 Serie A home matches and have a flawless record against Cremonese in Turin, they will expect to pick up more precious points on Monday.

To date, Cremonese have lost all eight of their top-flight away games against Juventus - and by an aggregate scoreline of 23-3.

Overall, the Lombardy club have accrued just four points from 17 league meetings, following a 2-1 home defeat earlier this season.

Not only is history firmly stacked against them, but Cremo’s current form will also be a concern for head coach Davide Nicola.

After defeats against Napoli and Torino, plus a goalless draw with Lazio, Nicola's side started the new year by losing to crisis club Fiorentina.

Nicola's team then squandered a two-goal lead at home to Cagliari on Thursday evening, after first-half strikes from Dennis Johnsen and Jamie Vardy had put them in total control.

Though they did end a near-400-minute goal drought, Cremonese’s latest slip left them with just two points from their last five outings - albeit they remain relatively safe in mid-table.

Given the Grigiorossi have failed to even score in any of their last three away fixtures, finally toppling Juve in Turin is an incredibly tough task.

Juventus Serie A form:

L W W W D W

Juventus form (all competitions):

W W W W D W

Cremonese Serie A form:

W L D L L D

Team News

Doubt remains over Francisco Conceicao’s availability, after Juve’s Portuguese winger was ruled out of action on Tuesday, while Dusan Vlahovic, Daniele Rugani and Federico Gatti are still on the treatment table.

Elsewhere, Spalletti has alternated between using Teun Koopmeiners as an auxiliary defender and in a more familiar midfield role; Lloyd Kelly would come into the Bianconeri’s back three if Koopmeiners is moved forward.

Meanwhile, David aims to score in back-to-back club appearances for the first time since March with Lille, while Lois Openda is expected to start on the bench.

Cremonese’s attack usually features Federico Bonazzoli and top scorer Vardy, the latter of whom was on target in November’s reverse fixture.

Johnsen made his case to start alongside them by finding the net against Cagliari, but Nicola may add an extra midfielder to his lineup on Monday.

Only Michele Collocolo will miss out through injury, while Jeremy Sarmiento may be set to cut short his unsuccessful loan from Brighton.

Juventus possible starting lineup:

Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Bremer, Koopmeiners; McKennie, Locatelli, Thuram, Cambiaso; Miretti, Yildiz; David

Cremonese possible starting lineup:

Audero; Terracciano, Baschirotto, Bianchetti; Zerbin, Payero, Grassi, Vandeputte, Pezzella; Bonazzoli, Vardy