Italian champions Juventus and Sami Khedira have started the year in style, with a 3-0 home win over Bologna. Max Allegri's men seemed to have put the disappointment of losing the Italian Super Cup in December behind them, as Gonzalo Higuain (7', 55') and Paulo Dybala got the goals for the Bianconeri on a successful evening. Khedira played right from the start and helped his side to a comfortable victory, the German was however substituted with ten minutes to go to give new January signing Tomas Rincon his debut.
Narrow Roma victory
Antonio Rüdiger has also started the new year in winning ways with his club side AS Roma, as they narrowly won 1-0 away against Genoa. The only goal of the afternoon was however scored by a Genoa player, as Armando Izzo put the ball into his own net when trying to deal with a dangerous cross (36’). Apart from this, the Giallorossi didn’t have many good chances to speak of, while their goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was forced into two great saves in the 34th and the 93rd minute respectively – preserving the three points.
Rüdiger himself put in a solid performance on the right of a back-three. In the 38 minute, he received his fifth yellow card of the season for a tactical foul, but this doesn’t rule him out of the next game against Udinese, as players in Serie A get a suspension for their fourth yellow card of the campaign.
These two results mean the top of the Serie A table looks exactly like it did before the winter break, with Roma trailing reigning champions Juventus by four points. However, the Turin giants have played one less game than the team from the capital.Liverpool only manage a draw against fourth-division side Plymouth
With Emre Can and Loris Karius in the starting XI, Liverpool drew 0-0 with League Two side Plymouth Argyle. The two sides will therefore contest a replay on the 17th of January to determine who will make it into the next round of the FA Cup. Daniel Sturridge, who had the best chance of the game, was subbed on in the second half, as were other key players Roberto Firmino and Adam Lallana, to try and win the game for Liverpool.
Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp named an inexperienced side to take on Plymouth. Can, himself just 22, was deployed on the right of centre midfield, while a number of youth team players also lined up, as Kevin Stewart (23), Sheyi Ojo (19), Oviemuno Ejaria (19), Joe Gomez (19), Trent Alexander-Arnold (18) and Benjamin Woodburn (17) all started.