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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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(L-R) Djibril Sow of BSC Young Boys, Moise Kean of Juventus FC during the UEFA Champions League group H match between Juventus FC and Young Boys at the Allianz Arena on October 02, 2018 in Turin, Italy(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images)
(L-R) Djibril Sow of BSC Young Boys, Moise Kean of Juventus FC during the UEFA Champions League group H match between Juventus FC and Young Boys at the Allianz Arena on October 02, 2018 in Turin, Italy(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images) /

LW: Cristiano Ronaldo

This is another week where no matter what Ronaldo does on the field it won’t be why he’s in the headlines. In spite of his continuing off-field issues it appears that Juventus will name him in the starting lineup for this match. His history has yet to impact his performances on the field, but at some point Juventus has to consider whether they should actually be allowing Ronaldo to play during this investigation. They’ve yet to decide he needs to be left out of the lineup so he will once again lead the attack on Saturday.

ST: Moise Kean

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We’ve waited all year for this moment, but it looks like we’ll finally get to see Moise Kean in the starting lineup. When the season started it seemed like he was destined for more regular playing time as the only viable backup to Mario Mandzukic, but that playing time never came. Now Mandzukic has reportedly suffered an injury that will keep him out for out for the next month. That means it’s time for Moise Kean to get his turn. Without their second leading scorer Juve will need their promising young striker to step up. This could be his chance to earn a more consistent spot in the Juve rotation and establish himself as the heir to Mandzukic’s role.

RW: Paulo Dybala

This would usually be the part where I talk about how much of a mistake it is for Juventus to start Paulo Dybala on the right wing, but it shouldn’t really matter in this match. In fact, these are the exactly the types of matches where it is okay. Juventus should triumph even if they aren’t at their best and even if their attack struggles they should be able to keep Bologna from scoring until they can bring on an actual right wing to spark the attack. If Mandzukic really does miss the next month then this will likely hopefully be the last time we see Dybala on the wing until his return.

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Dybala did manage to score the first time Juventus played Bologna, so maybe he’ll be able to make something good happen again here.

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