Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. (Photo : Getty Images)
Defending champions and current league leaders Juventus FC (22-4-4, 70 points) is looking to win their fifth straight Scudetto as the 2015-2016 Serie A season winds down. They host middling team Empoli FC (9-12-9, 36 points) at the Juventus Stadium this Saturday, April 2nd as they try to extend their winning run to five games.
Juventus will also be looking to remain three points away from their closest pursuers in the league table, SSC Napoli, who are also on a three-game winning streak. With still eight matchdays left in the Italian top flight competitions, Juve is not a shoo-in to repeat as champions and so they are not taking any team for granted.
La Vecchia Signora has been impressive in the second half of the season after starting it quite shaky last year. They are currently on a 20-game unbeaten run with their last loss coming way back in October of last year, a 0-1 defeat to Sassuolo.
Juve is coming off a 4-1 demolition of neighborhood rival Torino at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino on Match 20th, as per Goal.
Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon's 10-game clean sheet streak was broken, but the 38-year-old Juventus and Italy national team captain did set the record for consecutive clean sheets in the Italian top flight before this match.
Midfielder Paul Pogba opened the scoring at the 33rd minute before teammate Sam Khedira doubled the lead three minutes before the halftime interval.
Il Toro forward Andrea Belotti pierced Buffon's net, the first one to do so in the past 11 games of Le Zebre, three minutes into the second half to put the hosts on the board and avoid a shutout.
Juve was not finished, though, as young striker Alvaro Morata netted twice, at the 63rd and 76th, to seal the win for the visitors. Khedira was sent off at the 87th, but it was a non-factor for Massimiliano Allegri's side.
Meanwhile, Empoli settled for a goalless draw with Palermo at their home field of Stadio Carlo Castellani on March 19th to keep the latter in the bottom three relegation zone with a few games left in the season, via Four Four Two.
Juve trounced Empoli, 3-1, during their first meeting in November of last year in a match held at the latter's home field.
The predicted result is a 3-0 romp for Juventus.
Juventus starting lineup (3-5-2 formation): Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Rugani; Lichtsteiner, Marchisio, Lemina, Pogba, Sandro; Dybala, Mandzukic
Empoli starting lineup (4-3-1-2 formation): Skorupski; Laurini, Tonelli, Costa, Rui; Zielinski, Maksimovic, Croce; Saponara; Pucciarelli, Maccarone
