Juventus v Chievo: Dybala keen to prove point and end winless start

Paulo Dybala is keen for Juventus to show they still have the quality to win Serie A when they welcome a Chievo side in good form to Turin on Saturday.

Massimiliano Allegri’s men are seeking a fifth consecutive Scudetto after winning the league and the Coppa Italia as well as reaching UEFA Champions League final last season.

But Juve have made an extremely disappointing start to the new campaign, losing their opening two games to Udinese and prospective title rivals Roma respectively.

By contrast, Chievo are top of the table after a 3-1 win over Empoli before then hammering Lazio 4-0 thanks in part to Alberto Paloschi, whose double took his tally to three goals in two matches.

Juve are set to be boosted by the return of midfielder Claudio Marchisio from a muscle injury, while Hernanes and Mario Lemina could make their debuts for the club following deadline-day moves.

But Sami Khedira is still out with a thigh injury and Kwadwo Asamoah has not yet recovered from his knee troubles. Goalkeeper Rubinho and defender Patrice Evra are suspended.

Despite those absentees, Dybala is hopeful that Juve can prove a point and deal Chievo their first loss.

He told JTV: “They’re [Chievo] coming off two wins, and they beat Lazio 4-0. They’re fired up, and they’ll come here for a very important match to try to take three points home with them.

“We’ve worked very hard during the week, and players have come back from international duty, so everything is in place.

“The injured players are back, so the team is now at 100 per cent, and we want to show we can win the Scudetto again.”

Chievo’s magnificent start to the campaign will have surprised many after they finished 14th last term. 

The meeting with Juve will see Simone Pepe return to his former club after he made the switch to the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi last month.

And Chievo’s perfect record so far has not altered the 32-year-old’s expectations for the remainder of the term.

Pepe told Gazzetta dello Sport: “It’s fantastic but we still have our feet on the ground. We’ve started very well, but we’re fighting to avoid relegation. So first we achieve safety, then we can enjoy ourselves.”