5 reasons why Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juventus could make a comeback against Porto | UEFA Champions League 2020-21
Juventus will welcome Porto to Turin on Tuesday for the second leg of their 2020-21 UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie.
The Portuguese champions hold the aggregate advantage against Juventus in this tie; early goals in each half from Mehdi Taremi and Moussa Marega had given them a 2-0 lead before Federico Chiesa halved the arrears with a late strike.
Juventus have not triumphed in the Champions League since 1997, a reason why they broke the bank to sign Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018. However, the Serie A champions have faltered twice in the competition with Ronaldo, first falling to Ajax in the 2019 quarter-finals before they endured a shock elimination against Lyon in the Round of 16 last year.
The Bianconeri will be desperate to avoid a third consecutive skid in the competition, especially considering their domestic struggles this campaign.
On that note, let's take a look at five reasons why Juventus could stage a comeback against Porto and advance to the 2020-21 Champions League quarter-finals.
#5 Juventus' away goal gives them a huge advantage
Federico Chiesa's goal eight minutes from time in the first leg in Porto could be a game-changer for Juventus in this tie.
Had the Italy international not scored, Andrea Pirlo's side would have needed to score three unanswered goals in Turin to progress; considering their indifferent form this season, that could have been an arduous task for Juventus. In essence, they would have been facing the real possibility of elimination from the Champions League in the Round of 16 stage in consecutive seasons.
However, their priceless away goal gives them an advantage. Juventus simply need to secure a two-goal victory or avoid a victory by a one-goal margin if Porto score in Turin. A 1-0 victory would do the job for Juventus
With Cristiano Ronaldo leading the line, Juventus will fancy their chances of scoring more than two goals on home soil. If their defence can come up on top, Juventus could progress to the next round of this season's Champions League with minimum fuss.
#4 Juventus have more experienced players on this stage than Porto
A glance at the Juventus team list shows that while a lot of players are relatively young and untested, the youngsters are well complemented by battle-hardened veterans who have the requisite know-how to contest on this stage.
The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Alvaro Morata, Giorgio Chiellini, Gianluigi Buffon, Leonardo Bonucci, Alvaro Morata and Alex Sandro, among others, all know what it takes to get the job done in situations like this.
While Porto might also have their own fair share of experienced players, the gulf in big-game pedigree between the two sides is all too apparent.
That is a huge reason why Juventus are expected to overcome the Porto challenge on home turf.