The line-up Genoa chose
Genoa went with a clear shape. According to the [1] official line-ups, the XI was Bijlow in goal; Marcandalli, Østigård and Vásquez in a back three; Ehizibue, Frendrup, Amorim and Ellertsson across the middle; Baldanzi and Vitinha in support; and Osmajić up front.
The notable name was Morten Frendrup. [2] had flagged his return as doubtful, but he made the starting team. The same preview expected Baldanzi and Vitinha to come back in too, and both did. That gave Genoa a midfield with the legs to match Juventus’s passing, and two attacking players who could move between the lines around a single centre-forward.
The set-up asked a lot of the wing-backs. Ehizibue and Ellertsson had to defend the flanks and also push high when Genoa won the ball. With three centre-backs behind them, the structure was built to stay compact first and break forward second.
Absences and Juventus’s problems
Genoa were not at full strength. Lorenzo Venturino is out after patellar tendon surgery, and [1] also listed Elias Havel and Cody Drameh as unavailable. That thinned the squad, but the starting XI still looked balanced.
Juventus’s list was longer. Kenan Yildiz, Khéphren Thuram, Manuel Locatelli and goalkeeper Kamil Grabara were all missing, which took creativity from the front, steel from midfield and the first-choice keeper from the back. Spalletti’s side arrived off a 2-0 win at Lecce on Sunday, their first league victory in 35 days, so confidence was fragile. Randal Kolo Muani was left as the only striker, which meant he had to carry the attack alone against a back three.
That was the context. Genoa had a settled shape and home advantage. Juventus had a stretched squad and were just starting to recover.
The result and Genoa’s recent form
Genoa won 2-0 at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris. Before kick-off, [1] noted that Genoa had won their last two home games, and this extended that run to three.
The sequence in our records reads well at home. Genoa beat Fiorentina 2-1 on 10 October, lost 2-0 away at Roma on 17 October, then beat Venezia 1-0 on 25 October. The Juventus win came three days after that. Three home wins in a row suggest the Ferraris is working for them, and the Roma defeat is the only blemish in the last four.
The road is a different story. Earlier in the season Genoa lost 2-1 at Parma on 20 September, and the Roma game was another away defeat. Their league record shows how uneven the season has been: three wins, one draw and five defeats from nine games. Two clean sheets in their last three home outings is a sign the back three is settling.
What it means
Genoa sit 13th in Serie A with 10 points from 9 games (W3 D1 L5), with 8 goals scored and 13 conceded. The goal difference of minus five is the number to watch. Two clean sheets in the last three home games point to defensive progress, but the 13 goals against show how much damage came earlier in the season.
The form line is encouraging, with wins over Fiorentina, Venezia and Juventus at the Ferraris. The league table is still tight enough that a few more results could move Genoa clear of the lower positions.
The next question is on the road. Genoa visit Lecce on 1 November, and the site’s forecast for that game locks 24 hours before kick-off. Lecce have just lost 2-0 to Juventus, but Genoa’s away record is thin, with defeats at Parma and Roma in the sequence above. The test is whether the back three and the Frendrup-Amorim midfield can hold the same shape away from home. If they can, Genoa can build on this result rather than treat it as a one-off.
Sources
- Football Italia: Serie A official line-ups: Genoa vs. Juventus football-italia.net ↩
- Football Italia: Serie A: Genoa vs. Juventus – Probable line-ups and where to watch on TV football-italia.net ↩
