Juventus extended their Serie A winning streaks to five games as they edged past Fiorentina 1-0 at the Allianz Stadium. However, Juventus started slow in the first half and had to wait until 52 minute when central midfielder Mario Mandzukic found the back of the net with a brilliant diving header to give Massimiliano Allegri's side the vital home win. The result means that Juventus is tied with Napoli at the top, while Fiorentina is tenth with six points. Here's a recap of the match.
Juventus outlook
Starting XI and individual performance points: Goalkeeper - Wojciech Szczesny (6.23).
Defender - Stefano Sturaro (7.30), Andrea Barzagli (7.15), Daniele Rugani (6.41), Kwadwo Asamoah (7.10). Midfielder - Blaise Matuidi (6.78), Rodrigo Bentancur (7.12), Juan Cuadrado (8.40), Paulo Dybala (6.47), Mario Mandzukic (7.48). Forward - Gonzalo Higuaín (6.12). Used substitutes - Miralem Pjanic (six points), Federico Bernardeschi (six points), Stephan Lichtsteiner (5.99).
Team's strength and weakness: Massimiliano Allegri's men was effective at setting up goal bound chances from long strikes and from the both flanks. However, they gave away several free kicks within their half.
Style of play: Juventus favored long range shots.
AC Fiorentina outlook
Starting XI and individual performance points: Goalkeeper - Marco Sportiello (6.87(.
Defender - Vincent Laurini (6.58), Germán Pezzella (6.55), Davide Astori (6.32), Cristiano Biraghi (6.12). Midfielder - Milan Badelj (5.45), Jordan Veretout (6.60), Federico Chiesa (5.78), Marco Benassi (six points), Cyril Théréau (6.65). Forward - Giovanni Simeone (5.80). Used substitutes - Carlos Sánchez (5.97), Gil Dias (six points), Bruno Gaspar (six points).
Team's strength and weakness: Fiorentina's defense were aggressive in their tackles and in the process they committed lots of fouls around their box.
Style of play: Stefano Pioli's men played short and long passes with space and favored long shots.
Man of the Match
Juan Cuadrado's performances was apparently significant to Juventus' home triumph over a resilient Fiorentina team.
The Colombian attempted two shot on goal, made four crucial passes and completed a total of sixty nine touches.
Both teams' upcoming matches
Juventus will once again play hosts to Torino in the “Turin local derby” on Saturday 23 September. On Sunday 24 September, Fiorentina will return home to take on Atalanta.