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Predicted Juventus lineup vs Bologna: Quest for 5th straight Coppa Italia title begins

By John Vaccaro

Rodrigo Bentancur of Juventus celebrates scoring first goal during the Serie A match between Fiorentina and Juventus at Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence, Italy on 1 December 2018. (Photo by Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Rodrigo Bentancur of Juventus celebrates scoring first goal during the Serie A match between Fiorentina and Juventus at Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence, Italy on 1 December 2018. (Photo by Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images) /
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TURIN, ITALY – DECEMBER 22: Rodrigo Bentancur of Juventus competes for the ball with Nicolò Zaniolo of AS Roma during the Serie A match between Juventus and AS Roma on December 22, 2018 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Filippo Alfero – Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images)
TURIN, ITALY – DECEMBER 22: Rodrigo Bentancur of Juventus competes for the ball with Nicolò Zaniolo of AS Roma during the Serie A match between Juventus and AS Roma on December 22, 2018 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Filippo Alfero – Juventus FC/Juventus FC via Getty Images) /

CM: Rodrigo Bentancur

Rodrigo Bentancur has stepped up in a big way for Juventus this season as they have been unbelievably shallow in the midfield, but it looks like he may need to be even more impressive in the second half of the year if he hopes to hold onto his starting spot. News of Juve’s impending deal with Aaron Ramsey means that somebody will be losing their spot in the starting lineup next season and as of right now Bentancur looks the most likely to be sent to the bench. On Saturday he’ll get his first chance at keeping his spot safe.

CM: Blaise Matuidi

It’s the same deal as always for Blaise Matuidi on Saturday. He will be tasked with keeping Juventus in control of the midfield with his high-energy defensive effort. Juve will likely control possession throughout the match, so Matuidi will need to protect Juventus from any counterattacks. If we get the usual performance from Matuidi then Bologna will struggle to threaten the Juve defense on Saturday.

CM: Emre Can

Emre Can’s Juventus career hasn’t quite gotten off to the start he would’ve hope due to a long-term absence. His arrival at Juve was accompanied by a large contract and he’ll need to begin making a bigger impact to make himself worth his price tag. If Miralem Pjanic misses this match then Can will have a chance to try to serve as a creator for Juve. With Aaron Ramsey on the way to Torino (and maybe Isco), Can will need to show Juve he deserves playing time. The Juventus midfield is about to become much more competitive so Can will need to start taking advantage of these opportunities.

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