Juventus has been facing difficulties in the current Champions League season, having failed to win any of their last three matches. They drew 1-1 against Lille and 0-0 against Aston Villa in London, and suffered a 1-0 loss to Stuttgart at home. As a result, Juventus is currently in 19th place in their group with just 8 points.
Despite these challenges, the defeat to Stuttgart remains their only loss of the current TCC season. In Serie A, Juventus played Bologna, hoping to bounce back after draws with AC Milan (0-0) and Lecce (1-1) in their recent matches.
Manchester City, led by Pep Guardiola, is also going through a rough patch. Despite their impressive six English league titles under Guardiola and a Champions League win two years ago, they are struggling. After Rodri’s Ballon d’Or win, the team has failed to secure a win in any competition, suffering six losses and one draw.
While City’s Premier League hopes seem over, they are focused on improving in the Champions League.
However, their form was recently shaken by a heavy 4-1 loss to Sporting, where Viktor Gyökeres scored a hat-trick, and a 3-3 draw with Feyenoord after leading 3-0.
Juventus is grappling with several injuries to key players like Bremer, Vlahovic (6 goals in Serie A, 3 in the Champions League), Milik, Douglas Luiz, Cabal, McKennie, Adzic, and Nico Gonzalez, a new signing.
Thiago Motta had just 17 players available for the match against Aston Villa, with only six substitutes.
However, he can count on players such as Kalulu, Locatelli, Thuram, Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Yildiz, and Weah (who has 4 goals in Serie A). Midfielder Fagioli, who is a target for Marseille, is also available for selection.
Manchester City, on the other hand, is missing their key player Rodri, who will be out for the rest of the season due to a cruciate ligament injury. Stones, Kovacic, and Bobb are also sidelined with injuries.
Belgium’s Doku has returned from injury and will be available for the match in Piedmont, alongside star striker Erling Haaland (who has 5 Champions League goals), Foden, Bernardo Silva, and Kevin De Bruyne.
City’s biggest concern remains the lack of goal-scoring options beyond Haaland, who leads the Premier League with 12 goals, while the next highest scorers, Gvardiol and Kovacic, have just three goals each.
Prediction
When Manchester City plays away in the Champions League, their matches typically feature fewer than 3.5 goals, a pattern that has been consistent in their last 17 away games.
Similarly, 16 of Juventus’s last 19 home games in the Champions League have had fewer than 3.5 goals. Based on these trends, a low-scoring match is expected.
Prediction: Juventus 1-1 Manchester City.
