The game is approaching a dull end now as this match is certainly over. Three points is exactly what the doctor ordered for Juventus.
87'
The possession stat has just come up on the screen. Juventus have a whopping 82% of it!
85'
M. Rohdén gets yellow.
D. Faraoni enters the game and replaces A. Nalini.
Late yellow card for Swedish international Rohden, who's struggled to get going in this match.
Final substitution of the match, with Faraoni getting a late run on the field in place of Nalini.
83'
Juventus are cruising now and it should raise their spirits ahead of a crucial couple of weeks, where the course of their season will be decided.
81'
Juventus look like they could add to their tally tonight but Dybala has just toe-poked an effort straight into Cordaz's clutches, wasting an opportunity.
79'
A. Romero enters the game and replaces A. Barberis.
Set for a comfortable victory now Juventus but it's certainly not been a routine result, as the Old Lady were off the pace in the first period.
Another change for Crotone, with Barberis replaced by Aristoteles.
77'
S. Sturaro enters the game and replaces C. Marchisio.
Last change of the night for Juventus, with Marchisio taken off and replaced by Sturaro.
75'
M. Trotta enters the game and replaces A. Tonev.
First change of the night for the visitors, with Tonev replaced by Trotta.
73'
SAVE! Cordaz dives acrobatically to snatch Mandzukic's header out of the air, with the Croatian looking to get his second of the night.
71'
M. Benatia has scored a goal for Juventus!
GOAL! That's the third for Juventus! Benatia made the opener and he now adds his name onto the scoresheet. The corner is worked short and Pjanic eventually plays a low ball into the area, where Cordaz gets a touch to it but Benatia has an easy finish.
Minute
Description
70'
While the game was level, it did feel like an introduction of Gonzalo Higuain was inevitable. However, I'd be surprised to see him play now ahead of the crucial clash against Napoli on Friday.
68'
M. Pjanić enters the game and replaces B. Höwedes.
CLOSE! Dybala tries for a curler from a free-kick and the Argentine ace isn't too far away with his effort.
That's an end to Howedes' debut as he's replaced by Pjanic, who makes his 200th Serie A appearance.
66'
It's difficult for Crotone now, who have had their gameplan torn apart. It may end up being a case of damage limitation for the visitors.
64'
It did feel like the opening goal could open the floodgates for Juventus and it now seems to be a case of how many they'll get. It's a huge few weeks ahead for Allegri's side so they may look to make a statement of intent.
62'
Superb piece of skill from Dybala, who skips through the defence to craft an opening. He tries to feed in Costa but the Brazilian can't get the ball under control.
60'
M. De Sciglio has scored a goal for Juventus!
WHAT A GOAL! De Sciglio has only just come onto the field but he's already made his mark! Crotone deal with Costa's delivery after a corner but it drops to the defender, who fires a blistering shot that gives Cordaz no chance. His first ever Serie A goal and he's got it in some style!
57'
M. De Sciglio enters the game and replaces S. Lichtsteiner.
Lichtsteiner hobbles off the field and is replaced by De Sciglio, in the game's first change.
56'
It's also a huge goal for Mandzukic, who has been crying out for central opportunities but was quite poor in the opening period. He's got his goal though and it should raise his confidence as a result.
54'
A huge release of pressure at the Allianz Stadium and the home fans are back in full voice. Crotone don't look like they have the attacking flair to get back into the game.
52'
M. Mandžukić has scored a goal for Juventus! Assist by A. Barzagli.
Barzagli's cross put the ball on a plate for the Croatian and finally providing the spark of creativity that Juventus have lacked so far.
GOAL! Juventus finally get the breakthrough and one of their crosses finally come off! A pinpoint cross from Barzagli finds the head of Mandzukic and it's a superb header back across goal and into the corner of the net.
50'
B. Matuidi gets yellow.
Matuidi stops the counter attack with a foul on Budimir and has his name taken as a result.
49'
Juventus' attacks throughout this match have either been reduced to efforts from distance or floating crosses into the area that Crotone deal with. There's no sign of any improvements thus far, the final ball is still lacking.
47'
No changes for either side at the break then and it doesn't look like there's any change to the flow of the game either, with Juventus back on the front foot.
45' +1
M. Benatia gets yellow.
Benatia becomes the first Juventus player to be booked this evening ater a foul on Tonev around the halfway line.
45'
Jeers and whistles can now be heard from the home fans and it's not surprising. Their side simply hasn't been good enough so far and need a massive improvement in the second period.
KICK-OFF! Back underway in Turin, with Juventus now kicking to the left.
43'
CHANCE! Mandzukic rises in the area to head for goal but the Croatian can't hit the target with his effort and it bounces wide of the post.
42'
Murmurs of discontent from the Juventus supporters now as the hosts continue to fail to find their rhythm.
40'
CHANCE! Another chance on the counter wasted by Crotone. Todev pushes forward with intent but can't hit the target, striking into the side netting when he had team-mates waiting in the middle for a cut-back.
39'
Juventus' efforts in this game so far have largely been from distance, which Crotone will be pleased with. The issue is that Max Allegri's side is bursting with quality so there's every chance of one of those strikes from range flying into the top corner.
37'
SAVE! Cordaz again called into action, this time to deny Sandro. The full-back struck a fierce effort towards the bottom corner of the left post but the Crotone keeper is equal to his effort.
36'
Just under ten minutes to go until the break and Crotone would love to head into the interval level.
34'
CHANCE! How has Matuidi not scored this evening? The Frenchman, still looking for his first Serie A goal, came close earlier but should have buried the latest opportunity. It's great work from Costa, who sees his initial attempt blocked, but he clips a cross towards the far post where Matuidi rises to meet the ball but he can't direct his header on target.
33'
SAVE! Benatia surges forward but can't quite get the ginal ball away but it does fall to Dybala, who tries to drive a low effort towards the far post but it's not testing Cordaz.
32'
A. Budimir gets yellow.
First yellow card of the game is issued to Budimir, who's committed a number of fouls already in this match.
30'
Crotone are certainly set-up here to exploit the counter-attack but the lack the penetration in the final third to test the Juventus back-line.
28'
Juventus are still struggling to create a clear-cut opportunity here and the longer this continue, the more belief that Crotone will find.
26'
Short break in play after Howedes receives a nasty knock but we're back underway and the German defender will shortly return to the field.
24'
Crotone deserve credit for the defensive performance they've shown so far, as they've kept Juventus very quiet.
22'
Douglas Costa has been the bright spark so far for Juventus, in a match where the hosts have been quite dull.
20'
CHANCE! A dangerous cross into the six-yard box finds Mandzukic lurking but he can't divert into the net. Juventus get another corner, where Benatia is the player guilty this time of not connecting properly, and Crotone hold firm.
18'
A better passage of possession for Crotone but Pavlovic's cross is easily dealt with by Marchisio. The Italian midfielder immediately launches a counter-attack, which he finishes by firing a wayward effort off target.
16'
Juventus are yet to fully click in the final third but they're not facing any problems from Crotone at all, as the visitors are struggling to connect two passes together.
14'
Crotone have been on the back foot since the opening minute and it's clear how the tide of this game will flow. Costa has just tried an effort from distance but he failed to connect properly with his strike.
12'
Howedes, who's had to wait a while to get his debut for Juventus, looks to be playing a little deeper in defence and filling the role that Leonardo Bonnuci's departure in the summer left. Allegri has recently praised his passing ability so it's clear how the Italian champions see him fitting in.
10'
An absolute waste from Tonev, who had beaten Marchisio in midfield but fires a tame shot from distance that's no threat to Buffon. He lacked support but the better option would have been to drive towards goal.
8'
Costa is already proving to be a nuisance down the left side and he's just delivered a superb cross into the middle. Unfortunately there wasn't a team-mate there to touch the ball home but the Brazilian has looked electic.
6'
Crotone are certainly not here just to make up the numbers and have shown their intent in flashes during the opening minutes, with Budimir looking to be a real threat in attack.
4'
CHANCE! Douglas Costa, initially signed on-loan from Bayern Munich but now set to make the move permanent in January, has certainly proved himself to Max Allegri and it's a fierce start. He surges forward and cuts back to Matuidi, who smashes just wide of the left post.
2'
Juventus, as you would expect, have started lively and Marchisio has already forced Cordaz into action- although it was a tame effort from distance.
1'
KICK-OFF! We're underway at the Allianz Stadium. Crotone get us underway, kicking from right to left.
Good evening and welcome to our LIVE text commentary of the Serie A clash between Juventus and Crotone, where the defending champions are looking to keep pace with league leaders Napoli.
Juventus enter this evening's game seven points behind Napoli, who beat Udinese earlier today, and cannot afford to slip. The two sides clash in Naples next Friday in what will be a juggernaut clash, so the Old Lady will be desperate to ensure they have the chance to move within touching distance by securing a victory tonight.
Crotone certainly have a huge task on their hands in Turin, as they enter the game sat just two points above Serie A's drop zone. Their two game winning run was brought to a halt last weekend by relegation rivals Genoa and they have some huge games on the horizon, so any points they secure today will be extremely beneficial.
Juventus XI: Gianluigi Buffon; Andrea Barzagli, Mehdi Benatia, Benedikt Howedes; Stephan Lichtsteiner, Claudio Marchisio, Blaise Matuidi, Alex Sandro; Douglas Costa, Mario Mandzukic; Paulo Dybala.
Crotone XI: Alex Cordaz; Mario Sampirisi, Arlind Ajeti, Federico Ceccherini, Daniel Pavlovic; Marcus Rohden, Andrea Barberis, Rolando Mandragora, Andrea Nalini; Aleksandar Tonev, Ante Budimir.
Juventus subs: Wojciech Szczesny, Miralem Pjanic, Kwadwo Asamoah, Carlo Pinsoglio, Stefano Sturaro, Mattia De Sciglio, Daniele Rugani, Rodrigo Bentacur, Gonzalo Higuain.
Crotone subs: Bruno Martella, Cazim Suljic, Simy, Aniello Viscovo, Marcello Trotta, Aristóteles Romero, Davide Faraoni, Marco Festa, Leandro Cabrera, Giovanni Crociata, Adrian Stoian, Stefan Simic.
Juventus make a whopping nine changes to the side that was defeated by Sampdoria last weekend, where a number of squad players featured ahead of the midweek clash with Barcelona. Szczesny, Pjanic, Asamoah, Rugani and Higuain all drop to the bench, whilst Georgio Chiellini, Sami Khedira, Federico Bernardeschi and Juan Cuadrado don't make the squad.
Genoa also make changes to the side defeated by Genoa 1-0 last weekend, four in total. Simic, Stoain, Martella and Trotta all drop to the bench, with their spots taken by Ajeti, Rohden, Tonev and Pavlovic.
Juventus could equal the all-time Serie A record this evening of scoring in 43 consecutive matches and they'll certainly be confident against a Crotone side who have kept just one clean sheet in their last 25 Serie A games away from home.
HALF-TIME! Goalless in Turin following the first 45 minutes and Juventus have a lot to improve upon. A number of fairly decent opportunities have gone begging, with Blaise Matuidi missing two good opportunities, but the hosts have simply not been up to scratch so far.
Crotone will certainly be the happier side following the opening period, as the visitors have defended valiantly so far. They have lacked in attack though and have wasted a number of opportunities on the counter, so they have improvements to work on too.
A lot of possession for Juventus but not a lot happening in attack. The defending champions have largely been limited to efforts from distance and are yet to flow properly. Max Allegri will certainly expect a lot more from his team in the second period. As it stands, they'll remain off the pace in the title chase.
FULL-TIME! Bizarrely no time added on but it's no matter! Juventus have the points in the bag and they were much improved in the second-half. Mario Mandzukic, Matteo De Sciglio and Mehdi Benatia scored the goals for the hosts, who move four points behind leaders Napoli.
Juventus needed the win ahead of a busy few weeks and they got exactly that. A challenging time ahead awaits Max Allegri's side as they clash with title-rivals Napoli on Friday, before a crucial Champions League clash away from home against Olympiakos. The tests don't finish there though, as they then face Inter Milan.
Crotone's first-half performance was admirable but there was always the sense that the game would get out of their hands. Juventus were much improved in the second-half and the floodgates opened after the first goal. There's plenty of positives that can be taken though from a game where nobody expected them to get anything.
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