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Juve v Rome: Three opposition players to watch out for

Celebration

With 10 consecutive victories, Juventus are now closing in on Serie A Leaders Napoli. Can Luciano Spalletti stop them in their tracks? Wayne Girard picks out three opposing players to watch out for…

Paulo Dybala

After his big-money move from Palermo this summer, the 22-year-old Argentine has set Serie A on fire. He has already scored 11 goals and made seven assists in 15 starts and four substitutions. Juventus rely on him for his impeccable build-up play, key passes (2.5 per match), and creativity around the box. He was omnipresent in Juventus’s four-goal victory over Udinese last week, scoring twice and making two more and Roma’s defence will need to be constantly on their guard.

Dybala

Paul Pogba

Also just 22 years old, the Frenchman is one of the most dominating midfielders in world football. He shows impressive stats all across the board: four goals, three assists, two aerials won, and three shots per match. Pogba started the season slowly, still adjusting to a midfield without Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo, but has since improved with the return of Claudio Marchisio and Sami Khedira. Spalletti and his players are well aware of the threat of a man who has a habit of scoring decisive match-winning goals.

Pogba

Patrice Evra

12-years-older than countryman Pogba, Patrice Evra has been one of Juventus’s strongest defenders this season. He is five matches short of equaling his total last season and already has the equal amount of goals (1) and assists (2). If Roma can disrupt Juventus’s compactness, they will look to exploit the only weakness of Evra: his speed.

Evra