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On Sunday night, Juventus and Fiorentina will renew their eternal rivalry when they lock horns at a sold-out Allianz Stadium.
For the Viola faithful who despise the Old Lady with a passion, this will always be one of the most-anticipated fixtures of the season. Moreover, a reunion with their “treacherous” idols Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic adds an interesting sub-plot and an extra motive to a fanbase yarning for a positive result at the den of their most hated foes.
On the other hand, Juventus fans – especially outside of Italy – tend to belittle the significance of the fixture, reducing it to a mostly routine encounter, albeit with a special flavor. After all, the Florentines haven’t truly presented themselves as contenders for the Italian throne over the last decades like Inter, Milan, Napoli or even the Roman duo.
Yet, the importance of Sunday’s clash shouldn’t escape the Bianconeri fans, and the identity of the opponents has little to do with it.
While some matches can be turning points in a season, it is the ones that follow that truly leave a lasting impact. For instance, Juve’s mid-season crisis can be traced all the way back to the draw against Empoli, while others would argue that the marquee moment ensued a week later, particularly in the Derby d’Italia defeat against Inter.
Perhaps both cases are valid, but we would argue that the ensuing defeat to Udinese was the most devastating of all. This was the moment that truly confirmed the club’s entry into the seemingly never-ending dark tunnel. In following weeks, the team kept spilling points left and right, only recording a single win in nine Serie A fixtures; a last-gasp home victory against a club embroiled in the relegation dogfight.
Therefore, Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Lazio in the Coppa Italia was certainly a refreshing sight, but we can’t truly consider it a sigh of relief. For all we know, the encouraging second-half display against the Biancocelesti could wind up being a…
Source link : https://www.juvefc.com/opinion-why-fiorentina-clash-is-crucial-for-the-juventus-campaign-and-beyond/
Author : Michel Sakr
Publish date : 2024-04-07 08:00:00
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