Juventus vs Sampdoria preview - Mihajlovic plotting Juve downfall

Posted Friday, January 17, 2014 by PA

Sampdoria coach Sinisa Mihajlovic is hoping to come up with a strategy that will bring an end to Juventus' 11-match winning run in Serie A when the two sides meet on Saturday.

Sampdoria go into the encounter in Turin having bounced back from two straight defeats with last weekend's 3-0 triumph over Udinese.

Juventus, meanwhile, won 4-1 at Cagliari to set a new club record for consecutive wins in Serie A.

The reigning Italian champions are eight points clear of Roma at the top of the standings at the halfway point of the season.

Mihajlovic knows what it takes to beat Juventus, having guided Catania to a 2-1 triumph in Turin in the 2009-10 campaign, and is confident he can repeat that feat.

"We must always try to impose our game and go out to win," Mihajlovic said. "We will try to come out triumphant in Turin.

"I have already won against Juve before and I know I can do it again.

"If my players continue to train and play with this fighting spirit, then we can have a say against any rival."

Sampdoria are in 12th place, five points clear of the drop zone heading into Sunday's match.

"We have to keep our concentration high because the season is long," Mihajlovic said.

"We cannot forget that less than two months ago we were 19th in the standings and that we still have ways to go to defend our Serie A status."

The visitors will have to play a flawless game if they are to upset a team that have collected 52 points in 19 games.

Antonio Conte's men have scored 30 goals and given away just two in their last 11 league matches and have no intention to slow down.

"We have completed the first half of the season in style," Juventus captain Gianluigi Buffon said. "To have taken so many points is fantastic but we still have a long way to go in order to defend the Serie A title.

"We must keep going."

Juventus will be bolstered by the return of defender Andrea Barzagli, who missed last weekend's match in Sardinia through suspension.

The visitors will be without midfielder Roberto Soriano, who must serve a one-match ban but welcome back midfielder Pedro Obiang from suspension.