Juventus are gearing up for a challenging Serie A season, starting with a home game against Parma. The Bianconeri aim to reclaim their dominance in Italian football after securing a top-four finish last season, ensuring Champions League qualification.
Despite winning nine consecutive league titles previously, Juventus have not lifted the Scudetto since 2020, marking their longest title drought since the early 2000s.
Head coach Igor Tudor, who took over from Thiago Motta in March, is preparing for a tough campaign. Reflecting on the upcoming season, Tudor stated: “It will be a difficult season for all teams. The history of this club is clear. You must aim high. However, predictions don’t matter, you just have to work hard and focus on each game as it comes.” Juventus reached the last 16 of the Club World Cup under his leadership but were eliminated by Real Madrid.
Financial constraints have limited Juventus’ transfer activities. However, they secured Jonathan David from Lille to boost their attack after scoring only 58 goals last season, ranking third-lowest among Serie A’s top ten teams. Tudor praised David’s professionalism and impact in the penalty area: “David is always extremely focused and works very hard,” he said. “I like that and he’s always dangerous in the penalty area and moves well.”
Jonathan David is set to make his Serie A debut with Juventus after signing a five-year contract following his departure from Lille. During his time in Ligue 1, David contributed to 102 goals (87 goals and 15 assists) over five seasons and was effective in European competitions with 10 goals and two assists in 18 Champions League matches.
Parma’s Emanuele Valeri emerged as a standout player last season after joining from Frosinone at the end of the 2023-24 campaign. The left-back played a crucial role in eight of Parma’s 44 Serie A goals, providing six assists-the highest at Parma and twelfth overall in Serie A.
Historical Matchup Insights
Juventus have historically excelled on opening days of Serie A seasons, boasting 61 wins out of 92 campaigns-more than any other team except Inter Milan. They have faced Parma four times on opening weekends, winning all encounters with an aggregate score of 9-2. This match will mark Parma’s most frequent opening-day opponent in top-flight history.
Parma secured their Serie A status with a final-day victory over Atalanta last season. They achieved consecutive top-flight seasons for the first time since 2019-20 and 2020-21 when they also opened against Juventus but lost narrowly.
Match Prediction
Juventus are favoured to win their opening match against Parma based on historical performance and current squad strength. Opta’s win probability gives Juventus a 63.9% chance of victory compared to Parma’s 16.2%, with a draw at 19.8%. As Juventus embark on their quest for another Scudetto, they hope to start strong against familiar rivals Parma this Sunday.