Prediction: Both Teams To Score and Juventus to Win
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One of the titanic clashes of the UEFA Champions League group stage takes place on Wednesday evening as Juventus host FC Barcelona.
Both giants of European football, the two sides have failed to convince in the competition in recent seasons but got their new campaigns off to the perfect start last week so will be looking to follow that up with another victory in Turin.
Juventus
Under new boss Andrea Pirlo, it s not been a fantastic start to the 2020/21 campaign for Juventus. Despite being undefeated so far, they have only won half of the six competitive matches they ve played. The Old Lady have failed to notch back-to-back victories, a run that stretches all the way back to early July, and as a result sit fifth in this early stage of the Serie A season. Despite the wins not yet flowing domestically, they kicked off their latest European campaign in the best way with a confident 2-0 success against Ukrainian outfit Dynamo Kiev, both goals coming from summer signing Alvaro Morata. The clash against Barcelona looks understandably more difficult though. Juventus then will have to draw on their excellent home record in the UEFA Champions League. They have won their last four matches on home soil in the competition and will be aiming to notch five in a row for the first time since 2002.
Team News
The main headlines pre-match of course revolve around Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese superstar tested positive coronavirus but if he can return a negative test before the clash, he will be cleared to play. Should he fail to do that, Paulo Dybala is likely to lead the line once again. Juventus do have more problems elsewhere, especially in defence. Giorgio Chiellini may not be fit enough to play having been withdrawn through injury against Dynamo Kiev and could join fellow centre-back Matthijs de Ligt on the sidelines. Alex Sandro also remains out.
FC Barcelona
Following the huge fall-out after last season s humiliating UEFA Champions League elimination to Bayern Munich, things haven t improved all too much under new boss Ronald Koeman. Despite beginning the campaign with back-to-back wins, the Blaugrana have only won one out of their last four games in all competitions that being the 5-1 thumping of Ferencvaros. They also come into the clash with Juventus off the back of a 3-1 loss to Real Madrid in El Clasico, leaving them sitting 12th in the La Liga standings. Having suffered that loss, another at the hands of the Old Lady would make it back-to-back defeats in all competitions for the first time since May 2019. Barcelona s recent defensive record in the Champions League will not inspire all too much confidence either. In nine UCL matches throughout the 2019/20 campaign, the team only managed to keep two clean sheets, those shutouts both coming in the form of 0-0 draws against Slavia Prague and Borussia Dortmund.
Team News
Much like their hosts, the Catalans have a few problems in defence ahead of the game. Gerard Pique is suspended due to his red card against Ferencvaros, whilst Samuel Umtiti is still not quite match fit, meaning Ronald Araujo could partner Clement Lenglet at the heart of the Barcelona defence. Elsewhere, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen is still out, allowing Neto to continue between the sticks. The final casualty is Philippe Coutinho who is out with a hamstring injury. Having scored five goals in his first six games of the season, Ansu Fati will surely be selected from the start again.
Key Facts To Consider
Barcelona just edge the all-time head-to-head record between the two sides (W5, D4, L4)
The last match between the two in November 2017 ended 0-0
Juventus have not managed to score past Barcelona in three out of the last four meetings between the two clubs
Cristiano Ronaldo has never scored against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League despite having only scored against Atletico Madrid more so throughout his career
Juventus have never lost a UEFA Champions League home group game against Spanish opposition in 12 games
Conclusion
For Juventus or Barcelona a win on Wednesday in Turin really could get their seasons finally up and running. They both haven t been at their best but a game of this magnitude should see the bigger players all step up. The Old Lady are of course favourites being on home soil and should Cristiano Ronaldo be fit to play, then they should run out winners.
Prediction: Both Teams To Score and Juventus to Win
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