Having slipped out of Serie A's top four earlier this week, Juventus aim to boost their Champions League hopes on Sunday, when they host relegation-bound Monza.
Juve's latest setback leaves them struggling to salvage something from a dismal campaign, while their visitors could have demotion confirmed by another defeat.
Match preview
© Imago
After all Serie A fixtures on Easter Monday were postponed following the death of Pope Francis, Juventus saw their trip to Parma hastily rescheduled for Wednesday, when they were ultimately humbled at a jubilant Stadio Tardini.
The Bianconeri lost 1-0 to the lowly Crociati, producing no shots on target before the break, before a late flurry of attempts failed to force an equaliser - to make matters worse, goal-shy striker Dusan Vlahovic was taken off at half time due to injury.
Recent wins for Bologna and Lazio also mean Juve's task of securing Champions League football has been complicated, and they are among six sides still vying for two available places.
Drafted in to replace Thiago Motta last month, interim coach Igor Tudor has now suffered his first defeat since returning to Turin - following two wins and one draw - and any more setbacks could prove fatal.
Not only do Juventus require entry to UEFA's top competition for reasons of prestige, but financial meltdown may await if the two-time European champions fail to make Italy's top four.
So, pressure is now piled on Tudor to avoid an embarrassing result against rock-bottom Monza, who Juve beat 2-1 earlier this season.
© Imago
Though they memorably toppled the Turin giants twice in their debut Serie A campaign, Monza have since lost three times to Juventus, including that home defeat in November's reverse fixture.
After such an impressive entry to Calcio's top tier, the Biancorossi's progress stalled midway through last season, and following the departure of inspirational coach Raffaele Palladino to Fiorentina they have been abysmal in 2024-25.
So far, they have lost 22 games and won only two, leaving them 11 points adrift of safety and with essentially no chance of avoiding relegation.
Fired and then re-hired amid a chaotic campaign, Alessandro Nesta's return has resulted in seven defeats from nine since mid-February, and Monza's last win still dates all the way back to January 13.
Of late, the Serie B-bound side have lost four games on the spin, most recently pushing Napoli close in a 1-0 home defeat, having held the Scudetto contenders goalless until the 72nd minute.
If results go against them this weekend, relegation will be confirmed with four rounds remaining, and thoughts can then turn to a summer rebuild.
Team News
© Imago
A regular starter under Igor Tudor, having previously been cold-shouldered by Thiago Motta, Juve's top scorer Dusan Vlahovic has been ruled out of Sunday's game after straining his thigh against Parma.
Paired for only the second time with fellow striker Randal Kolo Muani, Vlahovic made little impact before his removal, and it remains to be seen who will feature up front in Tudor's favoured 3-4-2-1 formation.
While Kenan Yildiz was passed fit to play a cameo role in midweek - and the Turkish star could now play from the start - Teun Koopmeiners is still struggling with an Achilles problem.
The hosts are also without Federico Gatti (leg) and Samuel Mbangula (thigh), plus long-term absentees Juan Cabal, Arkadiusz Milik and Bremer.
Monza, meanwhile, will be missing Keita Balde, Silvere Ganvoula, Danilo D'Ambrosio, Armando Izzo and club captain Matteo Pessina, the latter of whom has sat out most of the current campaign.
In Balde's absence, Gianluca Caprari should partner Dany Mota in a misfiring attack - the Brianzoli average only 0.76 goals per game this season.
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Veiga, Kelly; McKennie, Locatelli, Thuram, Cambiaso; Gonzalez, Yildiz; Kolo Muani
Monza possible starting lineup:
Turati; Pereira, Caldirola, Carboni; Birindelli, Castrovilli, Bianco, Akpa Akpro, Kyriakopoulos; Mota, Caprari
We say: Juventus 1-0 Monza
Even a brittle Juventus side surely cannot fail to beat Monza, who are limping towards the finish line at the end of an awful season.
Without a reliable striker, though, the Bianconeri are far from prolific - so their margin of victory may be slim.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
