\n<\/p>\n
Just as the case was against Lecce last weekend, Juventus\u2019 next opponent is one that has a disappointing result attached to them the last time the two teams played this season. The home draw to Parma the night before Halloween was what proved to be one of the many points that Juve dropped against lower-table opposition and a big reason why the Bianconeri are now in the situation they are now in.<\/p>\n
So now, nearly six months later, the two clubs meet again, both with new managers and both trying to accomplish something very different but also important for their future.<\/p>\n
As Juve head south to Parma, the race for the top four is still too close to call. With last weekend\u2019s win over Lecce, Igor Tudor\u2019s side entered the weekend with a two-point edge over fifth-place Bologna \u2014 who the Bianconeri will meet in a couple of weeks \u2014 for the final Champions League spot that Serie A has to offer. But that was before Bologna\u2019s stoppage-time winner over league-leading Inter Milan \u2014 who now have no more room for error in the Scudetto race \u2014 Juventus will take the field at the Tardini in fifth place Monday night. (Plus, with Atalanta beating AC Milan later in the day Sunday, Juve also don\u2019t have the chance to jump into third place with a win over Parma, either.)<\/p>\n
At the same time, just like was the case with Lecce, Parma enter Monday night\u2019s proceedings trying to do anything possible to improve their standing when it comes to not getting relegated, as Cristian Chivu \u2014 who took over for Fabio Pecchia in February \u2014 and his squad sit in 16th place and four points above the drop zone.<\/p>\n
A little more than a week after facing the club that\u2019s sitting in 17th place, now Juventus head out on the road to face the club that is sitting one place higher in 16th.<\/p>\n
Parma has a wild form guide since the new year. They\u2019ve only won one of their 14 games since the calendar turned over to 2025. More recently, though, they\u2019ve recorded five straight draws, the two most recent coming against league-leading Inter Milan and Fiorentina. So while they\u2019ve not won much at all over the last four months, they also haven\u2019t been losing, either, with seven draws and six losses in 2025.<\/p>\n
So it\u2019s great, but it\u2019s also not terrible \u2014 especially for a club trying to pick up some semblance of points consistently.<\/p>\n
And if there\u2019s a team that knows something about draws and playing to plenty of them, it\u2019s certainly this Juventus team.<\/p>\n
Although, that trend has lightened up with Tudor coming in for Thiago Motta during the March international break.<\/p>\n
Juventus have won two of Tudor\u2019s three games in charge. And, maybe more importantly, they\u2019ve beaten both of the clubs (Genoa and Lecce) that we all expected them to beat even with the sudden change on the sidelines \u2014 which are the kind of results that Motta never really was able to achieve during his time in Turin. The changes that Tudor have made have mostly worked out for the better, even if some of the same issues from the Motta era are still popping up under Juventus\u2019 new manager.<\/p>\n
But the most important thing is that they\u2019re picking up points consistent again. And, as they hit the middle part of this three-game run of fixtures against clubs just above or actually in the relegation zone, it\u2019s imperative that Juventus continue to do so. The style of play has changed and, through three games, has gotten gradually better as the squad has gotten more time with Tudor. That was on display once again against Lecce last weekend.<\/p>\n
So, again, it\u2019s about keeping that positive momentum going during this soft spot in the schedule. Because in a couple of weeks, there\u2019s the first of two games against direct competition for a spot in the top four. And then there\u2019s another one. Then there\u2019s the two final games of the season against a mid-table side (Udinese) and another team in the relegation zone (Venezia).<\/p>\n
With six games to go, there\u2019s 18 points still out there for the taking. In the majority of those six remaining games, Juventus will be the favorite no matter if it\u2019s being played at the Allianz Stadium or away from home like Monday night\u2019s trip to the Tardini. <\/p>\n
So now it\u2019s just about doing exactly what they did against Lecce \u2014 get the win and get back into the top four once again.<\/p>\n