Zampano is fouled over on the right flank once again and wins another free-kick for the home side. It fails to result in a chance on goal though, as Rugani is pushed to the ground as the two sets of players battle for the ball.
90' +2
Pescara are enjoying a good spell of possession at the moment but, as has been the case for much of the afternoon, they're struggling to do much with the ball. It's been a very easy game for Juventus, who, despite offering little up front since the break, have looked comfortable throughout.
90'
The fourth official has indicated that there will be four minutes of added time.
89'
A. Coda gets yellow.
Higuain steps up and strikes the ball well, but there's slightly too much power behind his shot and it ends up looping a few yards over the top of the crossbar.
88'
M. Lemina enters the game and replaces J. Cuadrado.
Mandzukic picks up the ball midway inside the Pescara half of the pitch and immediately charges towards the penalty area, where he's clumsily tripped over by Coda and wins a free-kick for the visitors in a very dangerous position.
87'
Juventus have made a late alteration, with Cuadrado making way for Mario Lemina.
86'
Almost a chance for Caprari! The forward makes a clever run into the Juventus penalty area and almost manages to latch on to the ball in front of goal, but he's beaten to it by Neto at the vital moment and is unable to get a shot away from close range.
85'
Zampano is caught by Mandzukic as he tries to dart into the Juventus penalty area, and Pescara are awarded a free-kick just a yard or so outside of the box on the right wing. A low shot is fired towards goal from the set-piece, but it's easily dealt with by Neto in the middle of the goal.
83'
An attempted Pescara attacking move breaks down, allowing Juventus to counter through the middle of the pitch through Cuadrado. The Colombian does well to reach the box before threading a pass through to Higuain, but it's cut out before it can find the Argentine in front of goal.
81'
Higuain bursts through the middle of the pitch and has a great opportunity to set up Cuadrado deep down the right flank, but his pass towards the Colombian is poor and fails to allow the winger to whip a cross into the penalty area.
Minute
Description
79'
Space opens up in the middle of the pitch and allows Pescara to break away on a quick counter-attack. They initially do so well thanks to good play by Memushaj, but he's dispossessed from behind by Sturaro before he can penetrate the penalty area.
78'
V. Verre enters the game and replaces G. Brugman.
Brugman seems to have picked up a slight injury and is forced off to be replaced by Valerio Verre for the final 12 minutes of the game.
76'
Rincon takes advantage of sloppy play by Pescara just outside of their own penalty area and quickly tries to set up Lichtsteiner to his right, but the pass over to the Switzerland international is mishit and rolls harmlessly out of play for a throw-in.
74'
Marchisio sends a clever pass down the right wing and into the path of Lichtsteiner. The full-back meets it well and then fires an even better cross into the box, but there's nobody there to meet it, much to his frustration.
72'
Juventus lose the ball in the middle of the pitch, allowing Pescara to try and break quickly. Brugman's unable to set up a team-mate with a swift pass forward, however, as it's easily closed down on the halfway line.
70'
Pescara battle their way down the right wing and do well to win themselves a free-kick in a very promising position. It's swung into the penalty area and bounces around dangerously, but Juventus are just about able to blast the ball away.
68'
J. Bahebeck enters the game and replaces A. Bruno.
Jean-Christophe Bahebeck has come on to replace Bruno in Pescara's second change of the game.
67'
Pescara go close to grabbing a goal! The ball pinballs around the Juventus back line dangerously before falling to Memushaj at the back post, but, despite his best efforts, the Albanian is unable to pick out Campagnaro and sends the ball bouncing just behind the defender.
66'
Mandzukic takes advantage of a poor mistake by Coulibaly and cuts in from the left wing before picking out Claudio Marchisio. The midfielder takes a quick touch and then shoots, but his thumping effort is overhit and sails over the top of the crossbar.
65'
Biraghi, who has been pushing further forward since the break, does well to skip into the left-hand side of the Juventus penalty are before trying to pick out Brugman, but his low cross is slightly mishit and trickles into the hands of Neto.
64'
Pescara keep enjoying possession deep inside the Juventus half of the pitch, but Benali is unable to poke a pass into the penalty area before Coulibaly is caught sleeping on the ball.
62'
Coulibaly is caught from behind by Mandzukic as he tries to spin round the Croatian, resulting in a free-kick for Pescara in a promising position. It's sent short before Biraghi curls a cross into the penalty area, where Brugman meets it well but can't get a shot away under pressure from a group of Juventus defenders.
60'
Big chance for Sturaro! Cuadrado lifts a lovely chipped pass over the Pescara defence and into the path of Sturaro, who had made a great run into the box. The substitute meets it well and then shoots, but his low effort is tame and can't find its way past Fiorillo.
59'
G. Caprari gets yellow.
Caprari reacts angrily after conceding a throw-in over on the left wing and throws the ball away, leaving the referee with no choice but to show him a yellow card for dissent.
58'
Ahmad Benali enters the game and replaces S. Muntari.
Pescara have made their first alteration of the day, with Muntari, who has been booked, making way for Ahmed Benali.
57'
Another decent spell of possession for the home side sees Biraghi pick up the ball in a promising position, but this time he fires his cross from the left way over the heads of everyone camped inside the Juventus penalty area.
55'
Pescara move the ball around well before Cristiano Biraghi cuts inside from the left flank and tries to head towards the penalty area. He's quickly closed down by a sea of white and black shirts though, denying him a way through.
54'
S. Sturaro enters the game and replaces P. Dybala.
Stefano Sturaro comes on to take the place of Dybala, who has been on the receiving end of a few poorly timed challenges this afternoon.
52'
Juventus lose the ball midway inside their own half of the pitch and allow Pescara to push forward on a rare attack. They're unable to make it count, however, as Coulibaly's low cross bounces just past Bruno on the left-hand side of the box.
50'
Another hefty challenge from a Pescara player! This time it's Mandzukic who's caught by a clumsy tackle from Coulibaly, but, again, the referee ignores the Juventus players' pleas for a card and keeps them in his pocket.
48'
Big call by the referee! Muntari brings Dybala crashing to the ground with a reckless challenge that leaves the Argentine in a heap on the floor. The Juventus players all scream for a second yellow card for the Ghanaian, but the referee doesn't agree and just gives the midfielder a stern talking to.
46'
T. Rincón enters the game and replaces M. Pjanić.
Juventus have made one substitution during the half-time break, with Pjanic making way for Tomas Rincon.
We're underway once again!
45'
Thumping strike by Dybala! Juventus push forward once again before Dybala unleashes a rocket of a shot from 25 yards out, and it's one that forces Fiorillo into making a clever diving save to his right.
44'
Juventus quickly win the ball back from the restart and break down the right wing through Cuadrado. The Colombian then tees up Pjanic behind him, but the Bosnian's first-time shot is mishit and fails to trouble Fiorillo.
43'
G. Higuaín has scored a goal for Juventus!
GOAL! It's another for Higuain! Once again, a cross in from the right causes all sorts of problems for the Pescara back line. It easily finds Mandzukic, who nods the ball down to Higuain, and the Argentine easily out-muscles Coda before tapping a shot into the back of the net from close range.
42'
Asamoah causes further problems over on the left wing before dragged to the ground by Memushaj, leaving the referee with no choice but to award a free-kick to Juventus. Dybala steps up and whips a great cross into the penalty area, but it's well dealt with by the home side.
40'
A wonderful, curling cross from Cuadrado sails into the Pescara box and over to the far post, where it finds Mandzukic. The Croatian can't make decent contact with the ball though, and he ends up sending his downward header over the top of the crossbar.
39'
M. Coulibaly gets yellow.
Mamadou Coulibaly catches Asamoah with a clumsy sliding challenge as the Juventus full-back tries to break down the left flank, resulting in the second booking of the game.
38'
Great save by Fiorillo! Higuain easily beats Andrea Coda at the near post as he flicks the ball over the defender and shoots, but his thumping strike is well stopped by Fiorillo, who pushes it on to the woodwork and out for a corner.
36'
A dangerous chipped cross from Lichtsteiner sails into the Pescara box and looks set to find Dybala in a pocket of space in front of goal, but Muntari flings his body in front of the ball and heads it away from the Argentine at the vital moment.
34'
A bit of space opens up for Caprari deep down the right wing and allows him to swing a cross into the Juventus penalty area, but there are no dark blue shirts there to meet it and the danger is easily dealt with by the league leaders.
32'
Campagnaro catches Cuadrado and sends the Colombian crashing to the ground, resulting in a free-kick for Juventus midway inside the Pescara half of the pitch. Pjanic steps up and chips a cross into the box, but it's poorly hit and fails to find a team-mate in front of goal.
30'
Higuain goes down inside the box, but nothing is given! The striker breaks into the Pescara penalty area and tries to out-muscle Hugo Campagnaro before throwing himself to the ground, but the referee isn't at all interested and tells him to get back to his feet.
28'
Juventus patiently pass the ball around in the middle of the pitch before Dybala is brought into the game, but, not for the first time this afternoon, the Argentine is quickly closed down and fails to find his way through a group of Pescara players.
26'
Excellent block by Rugani! Carpari skips through a group of dark blue shirts before taking on Rugani, but just as he's about to shoot, the centre-back pulls off a great interception to deny him the chance to do so.
24'
Another great chance for Higuain! Lichtsteiner lifts a wonderful cross right on to the head of Argentine from the right-hand side of the penalty area, but the striker's downward header is poor and bounces a few yards wide of the far post.
22'
G. Higuaín has scored a goal for Juventus! Assist by J. Cuadrado.
Cuadrado showed great determination to muscle his way into the box and shoot, but Fiorillo really should have done better with the first shot, which was clumsily spilled straight back to Juventus' number seven.
GOAL! It's 1-0 to Juventus! Cuadrado breaks into the right-hand side of the Pescara penalty area before unleashing a thumping low strike that Fiorillo can only spill back to the Colombian. The ball is then poked over to Higuain, who easily knocks it into the back of the net from a few yards out.
20'
A poor pass from Higuain can only find Ledian Memushaj, who then breaks forward quickly. The home side work the ball around well before Zampano fires a clever cross into the heart of the box, but Rugani is just about able to blast it away from danger.
18'
An attempted Pescara attacking move comes to an end and allows Juventus to counter quickly. Cuadrado darts down the right flank before swinging a cross towards Mandzukic, but it's completely overhit and sails high and wide of the Croatian.
16'
Higuain picks up the ball just outside of the Pescara penalty area and tries to shoot, but he holds on to possession for slightly too long and is dispossessed. The visitors regain the ball quickly, however, before Cuadrado tries to send in a cross from the right wing, but he too is poor in possession and is pushed back by a group of dark blue shirts.
14'
Pescara keep moving the ball around well as they try to cause the Juventus back line problems once again, but Brugman's pass towards the penalty area is completely overhit and fails to pick out a team-mate.
12'
M. Pjanić gets yellow.
Vital interception by Andrea Barzagli! Juventus leave plenty of space available deep inside their half of the pitch, allowing Pescara to hit them on the break. Alessandro Bruno picks up the ball just outside of the box and quickly tries to tee up Caprari to his left, but Barzagli is there to cut out the danger with an outstretched foot.
Miralem Pjanic committed a clumsy foul in the build-up to Pescara's last chance on goal, and he's shown a yellow card as a result.
11'
And now Higuain goes close! Muntari loses the ball just outside of his own penalty area and allows Higuain to get a shot away, but the striker's effort on goal is poor and sails high over the top of the crossbar.
10'
Excellent save by Vincenzo Fiorillo! Juan Cuadrado links up really well with Gonzalo Higuain, who then darts into the left-hand side of the Pescara penalty area. He fires a lovely low cross into the box and towards Mario Mandzukic, who pokes a first-time shot towards goal that's brilliantly parried away by Fiorillo.
8'
A lofted pass is fired over the Juventus back line by Muntari and almost finds Gianluca Caprari in front of goal, but he's beaten to the ball by Rugani at the vital moment and ends up clipping the defender from behind, resulting in a free-kick to the visitors.
7'
Francesco Zampano does well to get himself into a pocket of space deep down the right wing before poking a pass into the heart of the Juventus penalty area, where it fails to find a team-mate and is dealt with by Kwadwo Asamoah.
5'
Juventus push forward on their first decent attack of the afternoon before winning themselves a free-kick in an advantageous position. It's curled in by Dybala and almost finds Daniele Rugani in front of goal, but the ball fizzes just past the centre-back's head before the linesman's flag is rightly raised for offside.
3'
S. Muntari gets yellow.
Muntari dives into Paulo Dybala and catches the Argentine with a wild challenge, leaving the referee with no choice but to show him a yellow card, despite there only being three minutes on the clock.
1'
We're off! Pescara get us underway, attacking from left to right.
What a blistering start from Pescara! The home side immediately burst forward as Sulley Muntari breaks towards the box. He then pokes the ball to his right and finds Gaston Brugman, who quickly shoots, but the Uruguayan's shot after just eight seconds is well stopped by Neto.
Good afternoon and welcome to our live text commentary of today’s Serie A game between Pescara and Juventus at the Stadio Adriatico.
Things are going splendidly for Juventus on all fronts at the moment, as not only do they currently sit six points clear at the top of the table, but Tuesday’s 3-0 win at home to Barcelona means that they have one foot in the semi-finals of the Champions League. They now must take on a Pescara side that are as good as relegated, and nothing less than a comfortable victory will be tolerated by Massimiliano Allegri.
In the league, the previous few weeks have gone smoothly for Juventus, who easily beat Chievo last weekend after being held to a draw by third-place Napoli. It’s now exactly two months since the Old Lady last tasted defeat in Serie A, with 10 of their 12 games since then ending in wins for the reigning champions, who can surely smell another league title coming their way.
It’s been a season to forget for Pescara, who have struggled all campaign and are on the brink of being sent straight back down to Serie B. They’ve looked slightly better in recent weeks thanks to the return of Zdenek Zeman and did well to hold both Milan and Empoli to 1-1 draws, but it’ll still take a monumental effort from the Dolphins to beat such an in-form Juventus side.
A win against the Old Lady is something that Pescara haven’t achieved in their history, with Juventus comfortably winning on each occasion. November’s meeting in Turin resulted in a 3-0 victory for the home side thanks to goals from Sami Khedira, Mario Mandzukic and the now departed Hernanes, whilst the last meeting on this ground ended in a 6-1 thrashing for the home side.
Zdenek Zeman has decided to make three changes to the Pescara side that started the draw against Empoli last weekend, with Andrea Coda, Alessandro Bruno and Gaston Brugman coming into the starting line-up to replace Cesare Bovo, Ahmed Benali and Jean-Christophe Bahebeck, respectively.
Meanwhile, Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri has made six alterations to the team that featured in their last outing, with Gianluigi Buffon, Dani Alves, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Alex Sandro and Sami Khedira making way for Neto, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Andrea Barzagli, Daniele Rugani, Kwadwo Asamoah and Claudio Marchisio.
The two sides are making their way out onto the pitch, with just a few minutes to go until kick-off.
HALF-TIME: PESCARA 0-2 JUVENTUS
Despite not being at the best for the opening 20 minutes, it's been a relatively comfortable game for Juventus so far, and they deservedly head into the break with a two-goal lead. It's one that means they'll be able to take their foot off the pedal slightly after the break, as Pescara have really struggled to cause any problems whatsoever for Neto.
The two teams are making their way back out on to the pitch ahead of the start of the second half.
FULL-TIME: PESCARA 0-2 JUVENTUS
The referee blows his whistle for the final time and brings an end to another comfortable afternoon for Juventus. They easily took a two-goal lead before sitting back and soaking up the pressure, allowing them to comfortably see themselves over the finish line against a Pescara side that struggled throughout.
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