WATCH Juventus vs AS Roma Live at 2:45pm ET on beIN SPORT & DishWorld: Open Thread

Juventus plays AS Roma today in the Serie A today in a match between first and second in the table. After taking a two week winter break, the two Italian teams are ready to begin their 2014 in style.

Programming note: For viewers in the United States, Juventus vs Roma is being shown exclusively on beIN SPORT and DishWorld. Even if you don’t have a TV subscription to beIN SPORT, you can access those channels via online streaming service DishWorld for $10/month. Read our review of DishWorld. And sign up for DishWorld via their website.

All eyes will be on the top-table clash between Juventus and Roma in Turin. With the returns from injury of Pirlo, Vucinic, and Tevez, it seems like Conte will be willing to play his midfield maestro from the first minute, with Tevez probably starting and the ex-Roma player most likely on the bench. The chance for Conte to lengthen his lead at the top of the table up to eight points will be crucial, especially considering his side’s early elimination from the Champions League. A victory over Roma would manage to unload some pressure from the scudetto race, and allow Juventus to focus on claiming the Europa League.

It’s up to Roma to pry open the scudetto race by stopping the bianconeri’s streak of nine Serie A victories. Currently Roma is the only team in the league which hasn’t suffered a defeat, and while Rudi Garcia’s task of keeping that record straight at the Juventus Stadium will be difficult, the giallorossi have all of the ingredients required. Although Garcia seems undecided about whether Totti will be in the starting eleven, the speculated attacking trident with Gervinho, Destro, and Totti (with Florenzi maybe in place of the captain) might be enough to create difficulties for the sturdy Juventus defence which has only conceded one goal in their past nine matches.

Before, during and after today’s match, join the conversation in the comments section below.