Juventus v Manchester United Champions League Preview

The Bianconeri welcome Jose Mourinho’s United to Turin in Wednesday’s distinct fixture and while last month’s 1-0 away win didn’t do justice to the stranglehold Juventus had on the game, Massimiliano Allegri will be hoping his team can put clear daylight between themselves and the Red devils in the second tie of this fixture.

A Paulo Dybala 17th minute strike ensured Juventus and Cristiano Ronaldo snatched the three points when Ronaldo faced his old club Manchester United in last month’s Champions League tie at Old Trafford. On Wednesday the €100 Million star gets another chance to put United to the sword. The wing forward couldn’t put his name on the score sheet last time and will be itching to do that this time around. Paul Pogba returns to his former club as well and will aim to put on show in Turin.

The Old Lady were finalists in this competition in 2015 and 2017 and their utter dominance in the Italian Serie A has been undeniable over the last 7 years. having won the last 7 scudettos. The current Juve team is drawing comparisons with some of their best sides but failure to win the ultimate prize in club football is perhaps why many have stopped short of labelling them the best Juve team ever. The story is different in Manchester as United have failed to be a dominant force in Europe since Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenure as manager ended. United need to win games like this again to be regarded as a powerhouse in European football.

The Bianconeri have 5 wins from their last 6 games in all competitions and currently lead group H with the maximum 9 points from 3 games. United have four points from 3 games and 3 wins in their last 6 matches in all competitions. The form of both teams leading up to this match are wide apart. There is supreme confidence in Juventus’ play and results while Manchester United have scraped wins in the league against Everton and Bournemouth. United defence is worrying, having conceded 7 goals in their last 5 games. Only 5 teams in the Premier League have conceded more goals than United. Their attack is a little disjointed to with Alexis Sanchez missing games owing to poor form and injuries. Romelu Lukaku has not also hit the back of the net in 9 matches and is out of form and sorts.

Juve have a rock solid defence and United’s attack caused them very little problems a fortnight ago. Juve’s defending at Old Trafford was nearly impeccable with Mourinho saying “Georgio Chiellini could give some Harvard University classes on defending” The Old Lady have neither lost any of their last 14 games nor any of their last 9 home matches. United though have some famous wins over Juve. The Red devils recorded a famous 3-2 comeback win en-route the 1999 treble win and registered another 3-0 win in 2003, both results coming in Turin.

Team News

United are unlikely to have Lukaku available in the starting XI due to his form and a recent injury that forced him to miss the weekend game. Fellaini, Dalot and Valencia are still missing in action. Alexis and Lingard were missing in the reverse fixture but are available on Wednesday. Anthony Martial place looks set in stone while Juan Mata and Marcus Rashford should also start.

Blaise Matuidi has sustained a right hip injury while Douglas Costa and Mario Mandzukic are also injury doubts. They will all be assessed ahead of this game. Emre Can is ill and ruled out while Georgie Chiellini missed the weekend win over Cagliari and may return in defence for Juve.

Verdict

United are on 4 points are essentially playing for 2nd spot in the group. Expect Mourinho to set up to negate Allegri’s tactics. Mourinho will be happy with a draw here and Juve may hesitate to push too hard for maximum points. A 0-0 draw or a slim victory for Juve looks likely.