Juventus will host SL Benfica at the Allianz Stadium in a UEFA Champions League tie on Wednesday, aiming to secure a top-eight finish.
Juventus have picked up just three wins from seven matches in the UEFA Champions League this season, and they are coming into Wednesday’s game vs SL Benfica on the back of a defeat against Napoli in Serie A. It will be interesting to see if they can bounce back with a strong performance in the midweek.
Meanwhile, the visitors have lost their last two matches, including a thrilling 5-4 defeat at the hands of Barcelona. It will be interesting to see if they can get back to winning ways here. Benfica were in impressive form prior to the two defeats, and they will look to recapture their rhythm.
The Portuguese outfit have done well against Juventus in the last few meetings, and they will certainly fancy their chances against an inconsistent the Bianconeri here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Juventus
Gleison Bremer (knee), Juan Cabal (knee), and Arkadiusz Milik (calf) are all injured for Juventus ahead of the UEFA Champions League game vs SL Benfica on Wednesday. Andrea Cambiaso is sidelined with a knock as well.
The home side will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Michele Di Gregorio in goal. Nicolo Savona and Weston McKennie will start as the full-backs, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Federico Gatti and Pierre Kalulu will pair up at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Manuel Locatelli will start alongside Khephren Thuram in the double pivot. They will look to add defensive cover and drive to the side. Francisco Conceicao and Kenan Yildiz will add pace and flair to the side, while Teun Koopmeiners will add creativity and goals from the central areas. Dusan Vlahovic will lead the line for Juventus vs SL Benfica.
Probable Lineup (4-2-2-1): Gregorio; Savona, Gatti, Kalulu, McKennie; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Yildiz; Vlahovic
SL Benfica
Alvaro Carreras and Arthur Cabral are both suspended for Benfica. Meanwhile, Renato Sanches and Tiago Gouveia are injured for the away side. Benfica will shape up in a 4-3-3 formation vs Juventus, with Anatoliy Trubin in goal.
Alexander Bah and Jan Niklas Beste will start as the full-backs. They will keep things tight at the back and hit Juventus on the break. At the heart of the defence, Tomas Araujo will start alongside Nico Otamendi.
As for the midfield unit, Frederik Aursnes will add composure, control and creativity to the side along with Orkun Kokcu in the middle of the park. Florentino Luis will also start alongside them, and he will look to break down Juventus’s attacking moves and win the ball back for his side.
Kerem Akturkoglu and Angel Di Maria will add pace, flair and goals to the side from the flanks. Finally, Vangelis Pavlidis will spearhead the SL Benfica attack vs Juventus on Wednesday night.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Trubin; Bah, Araujo, Otamendi, Beste; Aursnes, Luis, Kokcu; Di Maria, Pavlidis, Akturkoglu
Key Stats
- SL Benfica are undefeated in their last six matches vs Juventus in all competitions.
- Benfica have picked up four wins from the last six matches in all competitions.
- 17 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two teams.
- Juventus have picked up just one from the last six matches in all competitions.
- Benfica have conceded 12 goals in seven UEFA Champions League outings this season.
Player to Watch
Angel Di Maria
The 36-year-old has done quite well for SL Benfica this season, and he has 11 goals and five assists to his name in all competitions this season. The veteran winger will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates and add to his tally for the season. Di Maria scored in his last outing for Benfica, and he will look to build on that performance vs Juventus.
Prediction
Juventus 1-1 SL Benfica
Both teams will be desperate for a victory here, and it will be interesting to see how the game transpires. Juventus have been quite inconsistent, and they need to raise their performance levels when they take on SL Benfica.
On the other hand, Benfica have shown a decline in the last two outings. Both sides will look to bounce back strongly. This is likely to be a close contest, and it will be hard to separate the two teams. They are likely to cancel each other out in a draw. The two sides are set to share the spoils here. The Hard Tackle predicts a 1-1 draw between the two teams.