The Juventus lineup that should start against Crotone
Juventus have not had a good week, losing to Napoli in Serie A before slipping to a 2-1 Champions League defeat against FC Porto.
Andrea Pirlo will be desperate to get back on track with a win and they could not ask for an easier game in which to do so. The Bianconeri face lowly Crotone on Monday, who are currently rooted to the bottom of the table on just 12 points.
With no game to contend with in midweek, Pirlo need not worry about rotation either, meaning we should see a strong side selected. Here is what the starting XI should look like.
1. Goalkeeper & defenders
Wojciech Szczesny (GK) - Szczesny is one of the best stoppers on the planet, but he should not expect to be called into action often on Monday.
Danilo (RB) - No Juventus player has made more appearances than Danilo this season. The Brazilian has been pretty impressive as well and with competition for his place non-existent, he will continue at right-back.
Matthijs de Ligt (CB) - De Ligt still has his doubters but he is the future of the Juventus back line and will start on Monday.
Merih Demiral (CB) - Giorgio Chiellini was forced off in the first half against FC Porto, meaning either Demiral or Leonardo Bonucci will need to come into the side. It was a close call but in the end we predicted Pirlo opting for the former.
Alex Sandro (LB) - The Brazilian has edged in front of Gianluca Frambota in the left-back pecking order since returning from a spell on the sidelines and we do not expect this to change against Crotone.
2. Midfielders
Dejan Kulusevski (RM) - With Juan Cuadrado still out with an injury, Kulusevki's position on the wing is safe, for now.
Rodrigo Bentancur (CM) - Fears of muscle injury were played down a few days back, meaning that the near ever-present Bentancur will keep his place against the Serie A strugglers.
Adrien Rabiot (CM) - His recent performances have been poor, but Pirlo seems to be a big fan of Rabiot. This should be enough to see him selected over Weston McKennie, who has done well from the bench in recent times.
Federico Chiesa (LM) - Chiesa should be rewarded with another start, after bagging his side's only goal against Porto last time out.
3. Forwards
Cristiano Ronaldo (ST) - While there is an argument that his presence in the side causes problems due to his complete lack of pressing, the timeless Ronaldo continues to score at an impressive rate. He will be confident of extending his season's tally against Crotone's leaky defence as well.
Alvaro Morata (ST) - He may not have bagged many goals since re-joining Juventus, but Morata's work off the ball has been excellent. In the return fixture back in October, he scored his side's only goal in a 1-1 draw.