Atletico Madrid vs Juventus Preview: UEFA Champions League match preview, 3 players that could decide the tie in Juventus' favour
With the quartet of Ajax, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Porto booking their spots in the quarterfinals, the second round of the UCL 2018-19 round-of-16 second leg fixtures resume today and one tie which would be grabbing people's attention is the matchup between Juventus and Atletico Madrid at the Juventus Stadium.
The Spaniards come into the tie firmly in the driving seat, having put up a gritty performance in the first leg at the Wanda Metropolitano to record a 2-0 victory.
Atleti might have one foot in the last eight, but as the game between PSG and Manchester United showed us, this tie is far from over and Juventus would still fancy their chances of going through at their visitor's expense. In this piece, we shall be taking a look at three players who could decide the tie in Juve's favour.
#3 Giorgio Chiellini
Juve's failure to record an away goal in Madrid means that extra pressure would be on their defence to stop Atletico Madrid from scoring, because for every goal scored by Simeone's men, the Serie A giants have to score three more in order to advance, and it is here that the services of Giorgio Chiellini come to the fore.
The 34-year-old has earned a reputation of being a clinical no-nonsense defender over the course of his career, possessing that grit and determination which has been associated with Italian centre-backs throughout history.
On the 19 occasions where he has played in Serie A this season, the Bianconerri have kept 12 clean sheets, while conceding just 9 goals at the rate of one goal every 164 minutes.
Chiellini would be charged with keeping the likes of Alvaro Morata and Griezmann at bay, while Ronaldo and his more attack-minded teammates do the job upfront.
Juventus need to put their defensive A game on if they are to progress, and Chiellini would have a major role to play, while his strength in attacking setpieces could also come in handy as an attacking weapon for Max Allegri.