Juventus face Manchester City in blockbuster UCL clash.
[introduction]
The UEFA Champions League clash, Juventus vs. Manchester City, kicks off at 20:00 [GMT] on Wednesday, December 11, at Juventus Stadium. Clément Turpin [FRA] has been selected as the referee, while Willy Delajod [FRA] will be the VAR.
[home]
Juventus were looking to lift themselves up the league phase table but were left tumbling eight spots down to 19th place after a goalless draw against Aston Villa on UCL MD 5. The draw ensured the Old Lady remained without a win in the competition after three games [WWLDD]. Despite a faltering Manchester City lined up next on Wednesday, Juventus could see their three-game winless run stretched to four games. Juve have just as many points as the Sky Blues, 8 [2W, 2D, 1L], before this meeting. While their campaign has been marred with draws, the Old Lady will be looking to draw inspiration from their five-game unbeaten run against the English visitors [3W, 2D, 0L]. However, with a poor home record in the UEFA Champions League, Juventus could slip further down the table after Wednesday’s game. The Italian side has lost four of their last six home games in the UEFA Champions League [2W, 0D, 4L]. Dušan Vlahović, who suffered an injury while on international duty, was back leading the lines for Juve at the weekend, where they picked up a stoppage-time 2-2 draw against Bologna. He is expected to keep his place when Thiago Motta deploys the 4—2—3—1 against Manchester City. Bremer and Arkadiusz Milik are both ruled out along with four others.
[away]
Manchester City are currently enduring their worst run of form under Pep Guardiola, with the Sky Blues coming back twice to salvage a point in a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace. City had shown their quality in a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest just a week earlier. One they will be eager to replicate when they make the trip to Turin to face Juventus on UCL MD 6. UCL Match Day 5 was a huge disappointment as City gave up a three-goal lead with less than twenty minutes left to play for a 3-3 draw against Feyenoord. While their current winless run against the Old Lady is the joint-longest such run against an opponent [5], City, who are in 17th place on the league phase table, will be looking to pick up three points in a bid to salvage their failing campaign. A 4—2—3—1 with Erling Haaland in attack is expected for this midweek clash against the Old Lady. Pep will have to contend with plenty of injury worries with Mateo Kovačić and Oscar Bobb unavailable. John Stones and Manuel Akanji are both in doubt for this fixture.
