When fifth place faces fourth place and both clubs are even competing for trophies in women’s soccer, a Saturday evening in Turin takes on special significance. At the Allianz Stadium, Juventus Turin and AS Roma will kick off a reduced matchday in prime time on the 16th matchday of Serie A. It’s Spalletti versus Gasperini, with only four points separating the teams and Napoli just ahead of AS Roma in the table. The rivalry is intense on several levels this season, as the women’s teams of the two clubs will also face each other in the Supercoppa in January. For Juventus, with Simone Sozza as referee and the record audience at DAZN in Bologna still behind them, this match is seen as a real yardstick. The 1-0 win there ended a shaky league run, but fifth place and 26 points still represent a below-par start, which is further underscored by the Howden injury index with the absences of Gatti, Vlahovic, and Milik. AS Roma arrive in slightly better shape, sitting in fourth place with 30 points, just one point behind Napoli, even if their league form has lacked consistency. Gasperini’s team beat Como 1-0 with goals from Wesley and Soule, defending their four-point lead over Juventus.
- Venue: Allianz Stadium, Turin
- Date and time: December 20, 2025, 8:45 p.m.
- Competition: Serie A (Matchday 16)
Our betting tips point to a home win, with Juventus Turin winning thanks to their ball control and defensive stability. The home win is listed at odds of 2.0, while the draw is at 3.2, which still seems generous given their recent form, their success in Bologna, and the hype surrounding Yildiz.
Juventus form & record check
Juventus Turin goes into its home game against AS Roma with mixed but overall upward league form. The team is in fifth place with 26 points, four points behind AS Roma and just one point ahead of Bologna, which shows how tight the zone behind the top three remains. Four wins in their last five games in all competitions suggest momentum, even if, as Cannavaro noted, they are still a step behind the outright title contenders. In Serie A, the response after the defeat in Naples was convincing, with a 2-1 home win against Cagliari and a 1-0 win in Bologna showing a team that is grinding out points rather than playing for them. In Emilia, they created danger in the first half through Yildiz and McKennie, before Cabal scored the breakthrough with a header and Juventus controlled the final stages against ten men. The Coppa Italia victory against Udinese, a 2-0 win at home, and the same result against Pafos in the Champions League phase add further substance to the record. Juventus have scored in each of their last five games and in four of those games they have scored at least two goals, yet the first halves often seem blocked, with less than 1.5 goals in this period in four games. The patterns from the last five games point to a team that is growing with time; they have not lost a second half in this series and have scored in four games after the break, which fits well with Spalletti’s idea of control followed by calculated acceleration. This ability to finish stronger could be important in a league where many competitors still lack consistency. However, the picture is not entirely rosy. Juventus leads the league in injuries with 56 cases and is currently without Gatti at the back, while strikers Vlahovic and Milik are also missing in attack. Del Piero spoke of a mentally demanding year, but Yildiz’s rise, confirmed by his nomination at the Globe Soccer Awards, points to fresh energy. Considering the change of coach and this injury list, four wins from five games already seem like a slight overachievement.
For Juventus Turin against AS Roma, our predicted lineup remains close to Spalletti’s recent template, a flexible 3-4-2-1 formation. Di Gregorio is in goal, with Kalulu, Bremer, and Kelly forming a back three in front of him, McKennie and Cambiaso occupying the wings, Locatelli and Thuram operating in the center, Yildiz and Conceição working between the lines, and David as the lone striker. This is a projection and not an official lineup, but it reflects the current hierarchy in the squad quite well. Expected absentees include Gatti in defense and Vlahovic and Milik in attack, so our predicted lineup relies heavily on David and Yildiz as central reference points. Openda offers a strong alternative from the bench, while Pinsoglio is not the first choice in goal and ranks behind Di Gregorio and Perin in the hierarchy. Tactically, Juventus should stick with their usual three center backs and wide-ranging fullbacks.
AS Roma Form & Record Check
Purely in terms of results, AS Roma travel to Turin on the back of a five-game run that has seen them record three wins and two defeats in all competitions. Their European nights have been convincing, with a 2-1 home win against Midtjylland followed by a controlled 3-0 away win at Celtic. At the national level, however, narrow 0-1 defeats to Napoli and Cagliari exposed an offense that can still seem strangely pale. In Serie A, however, the picture is more nuanced, with AS Roma sitting in fourth place with 30 points and a goal difference of plus 8, just one point behind Napoli and four points ahead of Juventus, so the table rewards their relative consistency. At the same time, the last three league games, 0-1 at home to Napoli, 0-1 away to Cagliari and 1-0 against Como, a team that clearly focuses on control rather than fluidity. Recent performances suggest that AS Roma’s games are often decided by small details; in none of their last five games have they conceded more than one goal and there have been no draws, so matches are decided by individual moments. The victory against Como, decided by Wesley after an assist from Soule, was typical of this, with the creative responsibility falling heavily on this duo, while Pellegrini and Bailey provide short bursts of inspiration rather than sustained dominance. Gasperini’s handling of the available players also shapes this situation. Ndicka and El Aynaoui are unavailable due to international commitments, Bove is out for health reasons, and Dovbyk is injured, limiting rotation options in key areas. This could force AS Roma to play more cautiously, with Cristante, Mancini, and El Shaarawy primarily providing stability, while Soule and Dybala wait for the decisive moments.
AS Roma are likely to line up again with the now familiar 3-4-2-1 in our predicted starting lineup. Svilar is expected to continue in goal, shielded by Mancini, Hermoso, and Rensch. Wesley and Angeliño are planned as wingbacks, Cristante and Kone bring balance in central midfield, while Dybala and Pellegrini act as central playmakers behind Ferguson. This expected formation also reflects the absences of Ndicka, El Aynaoui, Bove, and Dovbyk, who are all unavailable. Without Ndicka, Hermoso looks set to anchor the left side of the back three, while Ferguson is expected to start up front. Players such as Baldanzi, El Shaarawy, Soule, and Bailey could change the picture from the bench if Gasperini adjusts the formation during the game.
Juventus – AS Roma Head-to-Head & Statistics
The last five Serie A meetings between Juventus and AS Roma have been completely even, with one win and three draws each, and a total score of 3-3. The most recent encounter in April 2025 ended 1-1 in Rome, continuing a series of tight, controlled games in which neither team has been able to gain a clear psychological advantage. Goals have been few and far between, with none of the last five games producing more than two goals and every game ending with under 2.5 goals. The second halves have been particularly cautious, with all five remaining under 1.5 goals and no game producing more than one goal after the break. It seems that both teams tend to sit back once the game settles down rather than actively opening it up. The first halves often followed the same pattern, with four of the five encounters level at the break and, in most cases, the opening phase remaining below 1.5 goals, which suggests cautious starts, with both teams placing more emphasis on structure than risk and feeling each other out for a long time, leaving room for late, narrow turnarounds. Recent trends give mixed signals, with Juventus unbeaten in the last four head-to-head matches, while AS Roma have avoided defeat in the last three encounters, all of which ended in draws. Both clubs also share a streak of five games with final scores under 2.5 goals, with AS Roma’s last win dating back to 2023, as does Juventus, underscoring how tough this matchup has become. Against this backdrop, it would hardly be surprising if the next encounter were also characterized by details rather than a goal fest. The historical pattern points to cautious game plans, compact defensive lines, and very few clear chances, especially after the break, although an early goal could change this script at any time.
