JUVENTUS
v
BORUSSIA MONCHENGLADBACH
Juventus Stadium, Turin
Wednesday 21st Oct, 2015, 19:45 GMT
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Juventus will look to continue the fine start to their Group D campagin as they face Borussia Monchengladbach on Wednesday. An intense battle is expected with the German club who have turned around their season following the departure of influential manager Lucien Favre.
The Italian champions have struggled so far in their bid to claim a fifth consecutive Scudetto taking just nine points from eight games and it seems they are playing with less anxiety in the Champions League than they do in Serie A. Juventus could only manage a 0-0 draw with third-placed Inter Milan on Sunday, a result that leaves them in the bottom half of the table. However, they have maximum points from their first two games in the Champions League following impressive wins against Manchester City and Sevilla. Max Allegri’s men will be favourites to win this game and take a decisive step towards the knockout rounds.
Monchengladbach lost their first five games in Bundesliga but have recovered well to clinch four consecutive victories under interim coach Andre Schubert. They were denied their first point in this group thanks to a late Sergio Aguero penalty against Manchester City. Die Fohlen come into this game on the back of an impressive 5-1 away win at Frankfurt on Saturday. Juventus got the better of the German opposition last season when they eliminated Borussia Dortmund in the round of 16. Monchengladbach lost to Lazio in the Europa League last time they faced an Italian opposition in Europe. Last time they won against an Italian team was way back in 1980 when they eliminated Inter Milan from the UEFA Cup.
Team news and tactical brief
Juventus
Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is in doubt because of a calf injury picked up in the stalemate at San Siro, while Martin Caceres (ankle) and Stephan Lichtsteiner are both absent for this game. Paulo Dybala who started from the bench against Inter will get his chance alongside Alvaro Morata. Mario Mandzukic returned from injury on Sunday but will most likely come on as a substitute.
Sunday night saw Max Allegri use his best midfield players for the first time this season as the trio of Paul Pogba, Claudio Marchisio and Sami Khedira all started together. All three are expected to start tomorrow with Juan Cuadrado and Alex Sandro covering the wings. Andrea Barzagli has been in superb form this season, particularly in his new role on the right flank behind Cuadrado, even registering an assist last time against Sevilla. If Buffon does not recover for this game then summer signing Neto will make his Champions League debut.
Probable Starting Lineup (3-5-2):Neto(Gk); Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Cuadrado, Marchisio, Pogba, Khedira, Sandro; Dybala, Morata
Borussia Monchengladbach
Currently in 10th position after a tough start to the Bundesliga season, Andre Schubert’s men know that a positive result is needed tomorrow in Turin if they have any hope of progressing to the next round. They were unlucky to lose against Manchester City after a positive start and are currently bottom in this group with two straight defeats. Gladbach are without Granit Xhaka, Patrick Herrmann and Nico Schulz (all knee problems) as well as Martin Stranzl for the trip to Turin.
The German club will be looking to carry on their impressive league form in the Champions League and come into this game on the back of an impressive away win on Saturday. Their good form will be tested by the Italian champions but they can rely on their talisman Raffael to produce the goods. The Brazilian netted twice at the weekend, while he has also laid on five goals for his teammates in what has been a difficult campaign thus far.
Probable Starting Line-up (4-4-2): Sommer(Gk); Korb, Christensen, Dominguez, Wendt; Traore, Dahoud, Hazard, Johnson; Raffael, Stindl
Key Facts
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Juventus and Borussia Monchengladbach’s only previous encounter was in the second round of the 1975/76 European Cup. Gladbach knocked out the Old Lady, winning 2-0 in Germany before a 2-2 stalemate in Italy.
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Juventus hadn’t won their first two games in the Champions League group stages since 2005.
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Juventus are unbeaten in their last 10 Champions League games at the Juventus Stadium (W7 D3), the last team to beat them on home soil being Bayern Munich back in April, 2013 (0-2).
Players to Watch Out For
Sami Khedira (Juventus)
Sami Khedira has recovered from the thigh injury he suffered in pre-season against Marseille and has been instrumental in the last few games for Juventus. He has a 100% record against Gladbach with VfB Stuttgart.
Mahmoud Dahoud (Borussia Monchengladbach)
Mahmoud Dahoud has enjoyed a fantastic start to the season and displayed his best performance on Saturday at Frankfurt. Dahoud had long been talked about as one of the brightest stars in Gladbach’s youth ranks and he eventually made his first-team debut last season in April. With Andre Schubert now taking over as first team coach he has a trusted admirer backing him and will look to continue his fine start to the season.
Prediction
Juventus 2a 1 Borussia Monchengladbach .
Juventus are currently top of the group following their wins over City and Sevilla. They will feel confident of extending their winning run against Gladbach. The German side have been on an impressive run after Favre’s resignation, although they are expected to face a much sterner test here. Juventus should secure all three points but it won’t be easy for them.
Blast From the Past
These two sides have faced each other before back in the 1975/76 edition of the old European Cup. Borussia Monchengladbach won 4-2 on aggregate in the second round against Juventus, winning 2-0 in Dusseldorf and drawing 2-2 in Turin.