Juventus vs Chelsea - 5 players to watch out for | UEFA Champions League 2021-22
Italian giants Juventus will host European Champions Chelsea in a marquee Champions League clash at the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday. In four previous meetings in the competition, both teams have won once apiece.
Thomas Tuchelβs Chelsea began their title defence with a 1-0 victory over Zenit St. Petersburg. Meanwhile, Juventus kicked off their Champions League campaign with a resounding 3-0 win over Swedish champions Malmo.
Chelsea, though, are coming off an uninspiring 1-0 defeat to reigning Premier League champions Manchester City at the weekend. Juventus have fared worse in their league this campaign. But they have won their last league games, including one last weekend.
However, both teams have key players missing for this game. Massimiliano Allegri has confirmed that Paulo Dybala (thigh) and Alvaro Morata (hamstring) will miss this game.
The Blues have a slightly longer injury list. Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount and Reece James are set to miss out due to injuries. Tuchel has also mentioned that N'Golo Kante will be missing, too, as the Frenchman is self-isolating after testing positive for COVID-19
Despite the spate of absentees in both camps, this game could decide the Group H standings. So both teams will look to win this match as they seek to qualify for the knockout stage. On that note, here's a look at five players to watch out for from both teams in this game:
#5 Manuel Locatelli (Juventus)
The last two seasons have been a little shaky for the Juventus midfield. The Serie A giants tried to fix that hole with the signings of Adrien Rabiot, Aaron Ramsey and even Weston McKennie. But it seems like they have found the perfect player in this window.
Manuel Locatelli is being labelled as Juventus' new midfield maestro, despite only arriving in Turin this summer. That's because Locatelli is a modern-day midfielder, who has been playing in Serie A for five seasons now.
Ready for the Bianconeri to shine ππ£ππππ₯! ππβ¨
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After a good outing last weekend, scoring a goal, Locatelli will be buzzing with confidence. The Chelsea game, though, will be an entirely different challenge. But the Italian could be one to watch out for in this game.
#4 Mateo Kovacic (Chelsea)
There are very few midfielders who can match Mateo Kovacic for what he does on the pitch. The Croatian's tireless running and dribbling prowess makes him a key player for Chelsea in the middle of the park.
While he is rarely involved in goals, this season Kovacic has scored one and provided three assists in the league. Kovacic's ability on the ball and his press-resistant style of play makes him an integral player in Thomas Tuchel's setup.
Get the key bits Thomas Tuchel's #UCL press conference earlier today. ‡οΈ
The 27-year-old has played against Juventus during his time at Inter Milan, and he will be in Chelsea's midfield when they take on the Bianconeri. Along with Jorginho, Kovacic will look to set the tone for Chelsea as they look to make it two wins out of two in the Champions League.