Gonzalo Higuain Juventus
Gonzalo Higuain will be a one of the important players for JuventusReuters

Juventus is flying high in the Serie A as they currently top the table with 39 points, enjoying a four point lead over Roma, who has played some solid football in the competition as well. Roma will hope to close that gap at the top with a win against the Old Lady at the Juventus Stadium on Saturday.

It is such top of the table clashes, which makes football fans go crazy, and the home crowd will hope that their players stand and deliver in the all-important encounter. Juventus, after their last loss to AC Milan in October, have been in stunning form, winning their last seven matches on a trot.

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It is their manner of recent victories, which has been outstanding. They have scored three goals in their last four matches, reflecting their strong offensive unit. With players like Gonzalo Higuain, Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala they are always going to be a powerhouse in front of goal, and Roma will have to be strong on their defence.

For the home side, it remains to be seen, what kind of formation Massimiliano Allegri will adopt in this crucial match.

"At this point, even before our final training session, it is unlikely that we will play with three strikers tomorrow. Either Dybala or Mandzukic will play with Higuain; I will make a call on which of them starts the match later today," Juventus' official website quoted Allegri as saying.

"In terms of fitness, Paulo is coming along very nicely indeed. It's natural that he needs a bit of time to get back into the swing of things but he came off the bench and played a big hand in our third goal last weekend."

Juventus, despite their stupendous form in the Serie A, cannot afford to take it easy against Roma, who have come with two huge wins over Lazio and AC Milan. As a result of this, their confidence will be soaring. They will be a huge threat to the home team with players like Edin Dzeko in great form for Roma.

Roma manager Luciano Spalletti, who has played an important role in helping his team play with style and freedom, believes the contest will be a close affair, involving a lot of close physical battle.

"They always have great physical power and technical ability – that's a hallmark of their play. They always produce the best. If [Mario] Mandzukic and [Gonzalo] Higuain start, as I expect them to, it will become a real battle with physical match-ups all over the pitch," Roma's official website quoted the manager as saying.

There is nothing much to choose between the two teams, but they will have to play some good football to emerge victorious. There is very little room for error. 

Where to watch live

Juventus vs AS Roma is scheduled to kick off at 8:45 pm local time (1.15 am IST, 2:45 pm EST, 7:45 pm GMT).

INDIA: TV: Sony ESPN. Live streaming: Sony Liv

UK: TV: BT Sport 3. Live streaming: BT Sport Live

USA: TV: Bein Sports, RAI International. Live streaming: Bein Sports Connect

ITALY: TV: Sky Calcio 1, Sky Sport 1 Italia. Live streaming: Sky Go Italia