Man United, Juventus to thrill fans in Premier League, Serie A games

Football fans will be treated to a bumper package this weekend with games from the Premier League and the Serie A.

The games, scheduled to hold from January 11 to January 12.

Leading the pack of games to be broadcast is the Premier League encounter between Manchester United and Norwich City at Old Trafford on Saturday, 11th January. The game kicks off at 4 pm and will be aired live on SuperSport Select 2.

United have struggled for consistency this season after winning only eight and losing six of their 21 league matches, the most recent being a 0-2 loss to long-time rivals, Arsenal.

Placed fifth on the log currently, the Red Devils’ chase for a top-four finish further suffered a setback following the absence of star midfielder, Paul Pogba, for a long term with an ankle injury. However, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær will be able to call on Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard to spearhead his team’s attack, while relying on Harry Maguire to provide solidity at the back.

Norwich, on the other hand, is heavily plagued by the threat of relegation as they are rooted to the bottom of the league table. The Canaries have lost three of their last six games but manager Daniel Farke can take solace from their last two games, which ended in draws, and use them as a springboard for better performances.

Teemu Pukki will lead the charge to get the goals as the club’s leading marksman and will be complemented by Emi Buendia, Todd Cantwell and Kenny McLean in midfield, while Tim Krul will be hoping to keep a clean sheet in goal.

A blockbuster also awaits the fans on Sunday, 12 January in the Serie A, when Roma hosts defending champions, Juventus at the Stadio Olimpico. The game kicks off at 8:45 pm and will be live on SuperSport Select 5.

With the race for the league title turning out to be an intriguing fight with Inter Milan, its long-time rivals, Juventus know they cannot afford to drop any more points in their title defence as they are currently second on the log. Manager Maurizio Sarriwill be counting on the in-form Cristiano Ronaldo, still buzzing from netting his first Serie A hat trick on Monday, to use his trickery and pace to open up and cause trouble for the Old Lady in their opponent’s defence.

He will be paired upfront with fellow striker, Paulo Dybala; Miralem Pjanic and Aaron Ramsey will provide the much-needed supply in the midfield, while Leo Bonucci will be asked to ensure the defence is impenetrable.

Roma might be 10 points off the title chasers, but manager Paulo Fonseca knows that his side’s chase for a top-four finish and a UEFA Champions League spot is still much on track. Despite their shock capitulation at home to Torino on Sunday, I Giallorossi will bank on Edin Dzeko to rake in the needed goals, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Nicolo Zaniolo to provide the creative spark in midfield, while Alessandro Florenzi and Chris Smalling are expected to marshal the defence.