JUVENTUS VS CHIEVO REVIEW

Mr Paolo Mazzoleni from the Bergamo will be the referee in this match

Probable First Squad 4-4-2: Buffon, Grygera, Mellberg, Chiellini, Molinaro, Marchionni, Tiago, Marchisio, Nedved, Iaquinta, Del Piero.

Following the international break, Serie A action resumes this weekend and Juventus will welcome what should be a straightforward game against Chievo. The Bianconeri have won five of their last six games heading into Sunday afternoon's battle, and so they should harbour enough confidence to get past the Gialloblu.

Claudio Ranieri will be hoping his side continue to keep up the heat on Inter. Juve are still seven points behind the Nerazzurri who face a potential banana skin away to Udinese. La Vecchia Signora have scored eight goals in their last two games and so they will fancy their chances against a Chievo side who are fighting for Serie A survival down at the wrong end of the table. The Bianconeri can take comfort from the fact that they have never lost to Chievo in any of the last six matches between them. The Veronese side held Juve to a 1-1 draw back in 2006 at the Bentegodi. That was the closest they have come to beating them.

Ranieri's men won 2-0 in the reverse fixture this season. Many will remember Alessandro Del Piero's stunning 30-yard free kick in the first half, before Vincenzo Iaquinta grabbed a second later. Iaquinta has been in fine form for both club and country. The Italian has been putting in the extra effort and it has been rewarded. The former Udinese man scored against Ireland in Bari for La Nazionale during the World Cup qualifier on Wednesday and he will be looking to continue his great form back in Turin. The hitman grabbed a brace of the highest quality against Roma last time out in Serie A, and he will be hoping for more of the same against the Flying Donkeys on Sunday.

The Bianconeri have been working hard in training this week as Ranieri devises a plan to scupper any hopes Chievo have of a survival point. Juve should fancy their chances as the away side have never scored in Turin in any of their last three visits there. In addition, the Old Lady has one of the league's best defences at home. The business end of the season is in full swing, and Juve will need to ensure they do not fall victim to the points-hungry relegation battlers. There is no room for error as anything less than a win could see the Scudetto move closer to San Siro.

Chievo Fighting For Survival

Domenico Di Carlo has been guiding the Mussi Volanti towards survival ever since he took over from Giuseppe Iachini back in November. After having won promotion back to the top-flight last year, Chievo are looking to avoid the drop at all costs. The season's stresses and upheaval seem behind the Bentegodi-based side as they bring stability back to the team and continue their bid for survival with a good run of form towards the end of term.

The first task for the visitors this Sunday will be to stop Juve's relentless attacks. Chievo will be aware that the Turin-based outfit have scored 28 goals at home in Serie A this season, while Di Carlo's men have conceded 18 and scored just 13 on the road. The statistics make for some worrying reading, but on the positive side, the Gialloblu have lost just once in their last six games. That was a 2-1 loss away to Fiorentina back in February. In those six matches, Chievo have won three, drawn two and lost once. Di Carlo's men came up with a shock win against Palermo last time out, and they beat Lazio 3-0 in Rome the week before, thus confidence should be high when the team bus pulls into the Olimpico this weekend.

Sergio Pellissier is the club's leading scorer with six to his name so far this term. The captain will be hoping to lead by example in an attempt to carry his side towards some precious points. The Italian striker has been through plenty of rough and tumble relegation scraps in his nine years at the club, and he has the experience of knowing how to plan an upset. Chievo are on course for survival, but with nine games left nothing is certain just yet. Di Carlo's men are six points above the drop zone; a shock win on Sunday could propel them even further to securing their Serie A stat