From the Newsroom

Juventus won Serie A for the fifth consecutive season on Monday

Football journalist Rory Smith reckons the Juventus are a fitting club to for the Hammers to open the new Stadium on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park against in August…

There’s no doubt that the Hammers’ opponents in the first game at their new Stadium – Juventus – are one of the world’s biggest clubs, something that has perhaps been forgotten in recent years with Barcelona and Bayern Munich taking over.

The Old Lady are massive, though; to think they have won 32 Serie A titles is extraordinary. They say that one in every two football fans in Italy is a Juventus fan, meaning they’re beyond the Manchester United of Italy. You either actively support them or actively support against them over there. It shows what a genuinely massive club they are.

They are one of the three teams in Serie A to own their stadium, they have now won five titles in a row and they are regulars in the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League. They obviously got to the final of the competition last season, and many would have backed them to get to the quarters or the semis again had they not met Bayern in the last-16 this year. Even in that tie, they ran the German side close.

They are a team on the up, that’s for sure. They often provide the backbone for the Italy team, and the three of Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci are Italian football-made flesh. They’re brutal, hard and tough – and a little bit snide in a nice way – but also elegant and what you think of when you consider Italian football.

One of the reasons Fiorentina hate Juventus is because they feel they have always been over-represented in the Italy side. Gianluigi Buffon is one of those players who you want to appreciate watching now; there’s a good chance he’s the best goalkeeper who has ever lived. Not just his ability contributes to that, but also how long he lasted at the top of world football for club and country.

I remember him making his debut for Parma when he was 18, and that would have been almost 21 years ago. He’s one of those players that when your grandkids ask ‘who have you seen play?’, it would be nice to answer ‘Gianluigi Buffon’. West Ham fans now have a chance to do that.

Like West Ham, Juventus are a factory team, and they have massive English links with their former managers.

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SOCCER PREDICTIONS FOR FRIDAY 29-04-2016

FRANCE LIGUE2:

Creteil - AC Ajaccio              X-10min

Lens - Paris Fc98                   1X

FRANCE LIGUE1:

PSG - Stade Rennais             1WIN

AUSTRIA Erste Liga:

Austria Klagenfurt - LASK Linz    2WIN

BELARUS Vysshaya League:

FC Belshina Bobruisk - FC BATE Borisov                       2WIN

FC Dinamo Minsk - Slutsksakhar Slutsk               1WIN & Under (4.5)

FC Shakhter Soligorsk - Naftan Novopolotsk        1 & Under (4.5)

PORTUGAL Primeira Liga:

Benfica - V. Guimaraes        1WIN & Over(2.5)

BULGERIA A PFG:

Ludogorets – Montana         1WIN

CHILE Primera Division, Clausura:

Huachipato - U. de Chile                  Over(1.5) GOAL

ENGLISH Championship:

Birmingham City – Middlesbrough            (2:0) 1 H Alternative Handicap

IRELAND Premier Division:

Bohemians Dublin – Dundalk                      2WIN

Derry City - Sligo Rovers                 1X

Cork City - Saint Patrick's Athletic             1X

Galway - Longford Town                1WIN

KUWAIT premier league:  

Qadsia SC - Al Jahra                        1WIN

HOLLAND Eredivisie, Women:

SC Heerenveen - AFC Ajax             2WIN & Over (2.5)

FC Twente Enschede - ADO Den Haag                 GOAL GGOAL

Psv/Fc Eindhoven - PEC Zwolle                  Over(2.5) GOALS

HOLLAND Eerste Divisie:

Stormvogels Telstar – Helmond                   Over(1.5) GOALS

FC Oss – Volendam              Over(1.5) GOALS

Jong Ajax - Den Bosch                     Over(1.5) GOALS

Emmen – Sittard                   Over(1.5) GOALS

Almere - Jong Psv Eindhoven                      Over(1.5) GOALS

Achilles '29 – Venlo               Over(1.5) GOALS

Sparta Rotterdam – Dordrecht       Over(1.5) GOALS

Waalwijk – Maastricht         Over(1.5) GOALS

G.a. Eagles – Breda              Over(1.5) GOALS

SLOVAKIA Slovensky Pohar:

Slovan Bratislava - AS Trencin                   X2

CZECH REPUBLIC SYNOT LIGA:

Jihlava - Mlada Boleslav                   X2

They’re a side full of symbolic Italian players, however they also have some younger, exciting players as well. Paul Pogba is arguably one of the most complete midfielders in Europe; Paulo Dybala is the next Argentinian sensation…there are lots of players who are worth watching.

It is sure to be an exciting game to open the new Stadium that everyone connected with West Ham will be looking forward to.

Rory Smith's new book 'Mister: The Men Who Gave The World The Game' is available now online and from most good bookshops.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily the opinions held by West Ham United.

CREDIT TO:http://www.whufc.com/News/Articles/2016/April/27-April/From-the-Newsroom