20 October 2013. Juventus had roared into a two goal lead in the first half against Fiorentina thanks to goals from Carlos Tevez and Paul Pogba. Certainly, it all seemed to be going the Bianconeri’s way and they looked on course to earning another three points.
Well, Antonio Conte’s men would soon find out that it’s not over until the final whistle is blown as a 14-minute Giuseppe Rossi hat-trick and a Joaquin goal were enough for the Viola to inflict defeat on the Turin giants on home soil for the first time since 1998. But, it would be the last time that any side in Serie A was able to earn all three points from the reigning Scudetto holders as they went on to bounce back from that shock reversal at the Stadio Artemio Franchi.
Indeed, not only did they recover–but also went on a 12-match winning streak, brushing aside fellow title contenders Napoli and Roma by scorelines of 3-0–only to see it snapped by Lazio who held them to a 1-1 draw in Rome. Since then, La Vecchia Signoria has only stumbled once, and even that could be merely described as a mere hiccup in the 2-2 stalemate with Hellas Verona. With a 14 point lead at the top of the league, both the Partenopei and the Giallorossi have both conceded that the title will be celebrated in Turin for another year as Juventus looks to break yet another record: the most points earned in a single season in Italian football’s top flight. And it would certainly be something that the team’s supporters will relish in, as bitter rivals Inter’s 97 points during the 2006-2007 season still has yet to be matched or surpassed.
On 26 March, Carlos Tevez’s double against Parma was enough to earn them yet another win and set a new record: 15 straight wins without defeat at Juventus Stadium. In fact, no team–whether in domestic or continental competitions–has been able to defeat them at home, something that Ligue 1 side Lyon will certainly have in mind when they face off against them in the Europa League quarter-finals on 10 April.
With just eight league matches remaining, half of those at home, it’s definitely feasible for the runaway league leaders to create another record of their own–completing an entire season without losing a match at home. And as they are in the quarter-finals with the final being held in Turin, they have just three more clashes, including the showpiece on 14th May to complete what indeed would be a memorable season for the team and their supporters.
Seven matches left to be played on their home turf. Will it be a lucky seven? We’ll just have to wait till 18 May to find out.