Luciano Spalletti has hailed his "role model" Gian Piero Gasperini ahead of Juventus' Serie A clash with top-four rivals Roma on Saturday.

Roma beat Como 1-0 on Monday to regain a four-point advantage on Juventus, who won by the same scoreline at Bologna a day earlier, in the Serie A table.

Spalletti has a good relationship with Gasperini and says he is one of many to have learned from the veteran tactician.

"I get along with everyone," Spalletti said at his pre-match press conference. "He's one of those who has always piqued my curiosity. 

"You can always learn from someone like Gasperini, who is a role model. Everyone does his thing. 

"How many times do you hear someone say 'they're doing it like Atalanta or Roma'? He's transformed players, from a mental point of view. 

"Like [Arrigo] Sacchi, Gasperini also created new situations. For that, he deserves praise."

Juventus appointed former Roma head coach Spalletti at the end of October and have won five of their past six games in all competitions.

Spalletti's side have also lost just one of their past 11 and have a chance to close the gap on Roma this weekend.

It could easily have been Gasperini in the Juve dugout, though, as he was approached to manage the Bianconeri earlier this year.

Explaining his decision to join Roma instead, Gasperini told Sky Sports Italia: "Because it was more difficult. I'm happy with how it went.

"Now we face this important match. Juve remain a great team and winning is always in their DNA. We want to test ourselves against this team."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Juventus – Jonathan David

David has found the net in back-to-back Champions League games for Juventus, but he continues to struggle domestically.

The Canada international has gone 13 games without scoring in Serie A, with this his longest-ever goalless run in a European top-flight league.

Roma – Wesley

Wesley scored Roma's winner against Como earlier this week – already the wing-back's third goal in 13 games since arriving in Serie A.

Only four Roma defenders have scored more in the first half of a season in the past 45 years – Walter Samuel (four in 2001-02), Medhi Benatia (five in 2013-14), Alessandro Florenzi (five in 2013-14 and four in 2015-16) and Aleksandar Kolarov (four in 2018-19 and five in 2019-20).

MATCH PREDICTION – JUVENTUS WIN

Juventus and Roma have drawn their past three Serie A meetings, though not since 1985 have they drawn four in a row in the league.

Roma have won just one of their past 10 top-flight encounters with Juve, with that being a 1-0 victory in March 2023.

Since the 2020-21 season, Roma only have a lower win rate against Milan and Napoli (9%) than against Juventus (10%).

The Bianconeri, meanwhile, have won 11 of their past 14 home league games against Roma and have kept 10 clean sheets in that period.

Juve's two wins from their past three Serie A games are as many as they managed in their previous nine in the competition (D5 L2).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Juventus – 47.1%

Draw – 27.2%

Roma – 25.6%