Juventus will be bidding to build on their impressive 4-0 Serie A win against Empoli when they travel to Benfica in a make-or-break Champions League group H encounter.
A perennial superpower domestically and in Europe not so long ago, Juventus are on the brink of a humiliating Champions League exit on Tuesday as they fly to Portugal to face an in-form Benfica side, knowing their destiny is no longer in their own hands.
The Bianconeri have made a hash of their Champions League group phase after three defeats in four games to PSG, Benfica at home, and Maccabi Haifa. They trail PSG and Benfica by 5 points with only two games remaining and need a desperate win in Portugal to keep alive their hopes of progressing in the Champions League.
As things stand, it seems to be a long shot, and they have a genuine battle on their hands to even finish third and make it into the Europa League, the second-tier of continental football.
Things are not going well in domestic circuits either. They are languishing in 8th place in Serie A, although they did at least defeat Torino in the Turin derby and breezed past Empoli in their last two domestic outings to restore some confidence.
Benfica, meanwhile, remains a team to beat this season. They have yet to taste defeat this season under new boss Roger Schmidt and have been in imperious form.
They sit six points clear at the top of the Primeira Liga and boast an almost 100% win record in the league, with their only draw coming against Vitoria SC. In fact, their two draws against PSG at home and away remain the only other games where they have dropped points this season.
They are coming off the back of a narrow 1-0 derby win against Porto as they controlled most of the game, barring a few nervy set-piece situations.
Juventus have a poor track record against Benfica and also lost the reverse group fixture 2-1 in September. Ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter.
Team News & Tactics
Benfica
Unlike his counterpart in the Juve dugout, Benfica manager Roger Schmidt does not have as many injury concerns, with Morata remaining the only long-term injury.
Otherwise, the German has a clean bill of health and will have almost a full-strength squad at his disposal to pick his starting XI from.
Ready for #SLBJUV! 🤜🤛#UCL pic.twitter.com/mNm6JxY8a5
— SL Benfica (@SLBenfica) October 24, 2022
Benfica’s success has been built on their defence, which has allowed only three goals in four Champions League matches thus far. The visitors are likely to start in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Odysseas Vlachodimos in goal behind a back four of Alexander Bah, Antonio Silva, Nicolas Otamendi, and Alex Grimaldo.
The full-backs will play unique roles. Bah, for one, starts off as a right back on paper but becomes almost a right winger to provide his team’s additional attacking options, while he is defensively very sound and tracks back well. Grimaldo, meanwhile, is a technician, comfortable in possession, and knows how to pick out a pass or play angled passes through the lines.
The midfield more or less selects itself, with Enzo Fernandez and Florentino Luis forming an impressive pivot. Rafa Silva will be the heartbeat of all of Benfica’s attacking play and will hold the responsibility of carving out openings for that attack, featuring the combo of David Neres, Goncalo Ramos, and Joao Mario, which will be difficult for Juventus to stop as they look to overwhelm their mistake-prone visitors with their attacking prowess.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vlachodimos; Bah, A. Silva, Otamendi, Grimaldo; Luis, Fernandez; Neres, R. Silva, Mario; Ramos
Juventus
Manager Max Allegri has provided a mixed bag of injury updates, as both Federico Chiesa (ACL) and Paul Pogba (knee) are nearing returns, they are unlikely to be risked here.
🛫 All prepped for Portugal ✅🇵🇹#BENJUV pic.twitter.com/JmKQs8Ts8n
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) October 24, 2022
Further, Angel Di Maria (muscle), Kaio Jorge (ACL), Gleison Bremer (muscle), Leandro Paredes (muscle), and Mattia De Sciglio (hamstring) are all set to be unavailable for selection on Tuesday against Benfica due to respective injury problems. Juventus will need to show fight in a game where anything less than a victory would result in them crashing out of the Champions League.
Massimiliano Allegri played a 5-3-2/3-5-2 formation against Empoli and is expected to name the same starting XI for this critical do-or-die clash. Wojciech Szczesny is the sure starter in goal and will play behind a back three of Danilo, Leonardo Bonucci, and Daniele Rugani.
An ever-enterprising Juan Cuadrado will act as a right wing-back. He will look to give a good account of himself with his directness, bombing runs up and down, and combination play. On the left flank, the auxiliary wing-back will likely be Filip Kostic, who has settled into life in Turin and is looking lively with his crosses, work rate, and darting clever runs.
In the absence of Paredes, Manuel Locatelli will be tasked with holding the fort in the middle of the pitch. Adrien Rabiot, who has previously received scathing criticism from Juventus fans, is proving to be one of the few better performers in Allegri’s side with his ability to contribute to both phases of the game.
The solidity offered by the aforementioned duo will give Weston McKennie the freedom to get forward and make those lethal late runs into the box that he is renowned for in recent seasons or link up with the front two of Dusan Vlahovic and Moise Kean, with the duo Juve’s primary goal-scoring threat.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, Rugani; Cuadrado, McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Vlahovic, Kean
Key Stats
- Benfica are undefeated in their last 9 Champions League matches.
- Benfica are undefeated in their last 5 matches against Juventus in all competitions.
- Juventus have only won on two of their previous eight trips away to Portuguese sides (D2, L4).
- The Bianconeri could be eliminated in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League for the first time since the 2013-14 season, under Antonio Conte.
- The hosts have nine wins in ten home games this season and 15 wins in 19 matches overall.
Player to Watch
Rafa Silva
The speedy frontman Rafa Silva netted his seventh goal of a stellar season that proved to be the match-winner against arch-rivals Porto over the weekend as Benfica stretched their lead at the top of the league. The Portuguese playmaker has been in superb form this season, producing 12 goal contributions from 17 matches, playing a huge role in Benfica’s sensational start to the new campaign.
Prediction
Benfica 2-1 Juventus
Massimiliano Allegri and co. breathed a little sigh of relief in the current calamitous season, which has seen them become the first Italian team to lose in Israel at the hands of UCL minnows Maccabi Haifa as well, as they beat Empoli 4-0 on Friday night to earn three points and move up to eighth in the table.
The Eagles will be a big step up for Juventus compared to the weakened Empoli side they played last time out, and the Hard Tackle are expecting the Eagles to triumph.
Benfica hold an unbeaten home record, and their solitary draw at home this season came against PSG at the Estadio da Luz. With Juve forced to go for the win, they could be picked off with open spaces in behind, and with in-form attackers such as David Neres, Joao Mario, and Rafa Silva in their arsenal, the hosts should be able to put Juventus to the sword once again with a convincing victory.
