Juventus lead Serie A by just one point and, if they fail to beat Zdenek Zeman’s Cagliari, could start 2015 in second place.
It kicks off at 18.00 GMT, brought forward ahead of their Italian Super Cup clash with Napoli on Monday in Qatar. Click here for a match preview.
Max Allegri reached the next phase of the Champions League, but slipped up in Serie A with two consecutive stalemates against Fiorentina and Sampdoria.
Juventus lead Serie A by just one point and, if they fail to beat Zdenek Zeman’s Cagliari, could start 2015 in second place.
It kicks off at 18.00 GMT, brought forward ahead of their Italian Super Cup clash with Napoli on Monday in Qatar. Click here for a match preview.
Max Allegri reached the next phase of the Champions League, but slipped up in Serie A with two consecutive stalemates against Fiorentina and Sampdoria.
The Bianconeri face another tricky test away to Cagliari and their unpredictable Coach Zeman, who has engaged in numerous anti-Juve campaigns in the past.
Leonardo Bonucci is suspended, joining Andrea Barzagli, Kwadwo Asamoah, Romulo, Martin Caceres and Luca Marrone on the absentee list.
That means Angelo Ogbonna again starts at centre-back, but Giorgio Chiellini returns from his one-match ban.
There are several players to watch out for, as a yellow card would rule them out of the Super Cup: Claudio Marchisio, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Ogbonna and Paul Pogba.
Because of this issue, French midfield talent Pogba is rested.
Roberto Pereyra takes the trequartista role behind Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente, implying Alvaro Morata could start against Napoli.
Cagliari are the only team without a victory on home turf this season, haven’t won since October 25 and last week Zeman played out his first Serie A goalless draw in a decade.
Clean sheets are generally speaking anathema to Zeman, but the absence of striker Marco Sau has weighed heavily on the team.
Victor Ibarbo returns from suspension to bolster the attack with Andrea Cossu, but Zeman may well have changed to a 4-4-2 system for this game – a huge change for the master of the 4-3-3.
Cagliari haven’t got a good record against the Old Lady, managing two points from their last nine Serie A meetings.
Cagliari: Cragno;Capuano, Ceppitelli, Rossettini, Benedetti; Avelar, Conti, Ekdal, Balzano; Cossu, Ibarbo
Cagliari bench: Barella, Longo, Farias, Caio Rangel, Donsah, Carboni, Dessena, Crisetig, Capello, Joao Pedro, Murru, Pisano
Juventus: Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Ogbonna, Chiellini, Evra; Marchisio, Pirlo, Vidal; Pereyra; Tevez, Llorente
Juventus bench: Storari, Rubinho, Romagna, Padoin, Mattiello, Pogba, Pepe, Morata, Giovinco, Coman