Verdict: Home win
Best odds: 4/5
Bookmaker: 888sport
Returning to the Champions League after a year’s absence, Italian giants Juventus will host Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday evening.
The two-time winners will face PSV, who won the title in 1988, for the first time in a competitive match as they kick off their group stage campaign in Turin.
Juventus
Juventus, who won the European Cup in 1985 and 1996, also hold the record for the most UEFA finals lost, with seven defeats, including five in the Champions League era.
The Bianconeri were excluded from European competition last year, missing out on the Conference League and ending a run of 11 consecutive Champions League seasons.
After finishing third in Serie A last season and winning the Coppa Italia, Juventus will make their 24th Champions League appearance, a record for Italian clubs, surpassing AC Milan by three.
Following Max Allegri’s departure shortly after winning the Coppa Italia, new manager Thiago Motta took over. Motta had previously led Bologna to an unexpected fifth-place finish last season.
Under Motta, Juve began the season strongly with consecutive 3-0 victories, aided by a younger squad and several exciting new signings. However, their form has since dipped, with a goalless draw against Roma before the international break and another 0-0 draw against Empoli on Saturday.
Despite this, Juventus have recorded four consecutive clean sheets at the start of the Serie A season for only the fifth time in their history, suggesting they could be a tough opponent for their group stage rivals.
Team News
After being cautious with his new signings before the international break, Thiago Motta gave starts to Teun Koopmeiners, Nico Gonzalez, Pierre Kalulu, and Douglas Luiz over the weekend. Khephren Thuram also made his return from injury by coming off the bench.
Timothy Weah was back in action after a thigh issue, but Francisco Conceicao is still dealing with a calf injury and may not be fit for Tuesday’s match.
Motta has made several surprising selections, including giving opportunities to young players like Nicolo Savona and Samuel Mbangula. Despite these changes, Dusan Vlahovic remains the clear first-choice striker, though he has failed to score in three of his four appearances this season.
PSV Eindhoven
While Juventus watched from the sidelines, PSV were busy advancing to the round of 16 last season. They finished second in Group B behind Arsenal and were eliminated by eventual finalists Borussia Dortmund.
This season marks PSV’s 18th appearance in the Champions League, equaling the Dutch record held by their rivals Ajax. They head to Italy brimming with confidence after an impressive few months before and after the summer break.
Having finished as Eredivisie runners-up for three consecutive seasons, PSV finally secured their first league title since 2018, finishing seven points ahead of defending champions Feyenoord and setting a new national record. Under Peter Bosz, PSV won 29 of their 34 league matches, losing just once, and their final tally of 91 points surpassed Ajax’s record from 1998.
This season, PSV have maintained their strong form, winning all five of their league games so far with 20 goals scored and only three conceded, each victory coming by at least a two-goal margin. Their most recent win was against 10-man NEC Nijmegen.
Dating back to last season, PSV have won 11 of their last 12 Eredivisie matches and are on track to defend their title for the first time since 2016.
However, their record in Champions League away games is less impressive. Their only win in 17 away matches was a 3-2 victory over Sevilla, with 11 losses, so history may not favor them in Turin.
Team News
PSV’s top striker Luuk de Jong made a return from injury on Saturday, scoring the opening goal from a penalty in their match against NEC. Additionally, midfielder Guus Til has found the net in PSV’s last three games.
However, winger Hirving Lozano, who had a stint in Italy with Napoli, has been sidelined since a friendly against Genk earlier this month and might miss the trip to Turin.
Ismael Saibari made his first appearance of the season on Saturday and could be included, but Noa Lang was missing from the squad, along with Rick Karsdorp (fitness issues), and Sergino Dest and Armando Obispo (both with knee injuries).
Conclusion
PSV are dominating domestically, but Juventus have shown they will be formidable opponents under their new manager.
This could make for a tightly contested match, with Juve’s strong defence and diverse attacking options likely giving them the edge.
Verdict: Home win
Best odds: 4/5
Bookmaker: 888sport
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