UEFA Champions League: Juventus vs Manchester United - Match Preview
There are some mouth-watering Champions League fixtures this week and one of them is Juventus versus Manchester United. The Bianconeri will host the Red Devils in the highlight fixture of Group H in Turin on Wednesday. Juventus are comfortably sitting on the top of the group with nine points while Manchester United are in second position with four points.
The fixture also marks the return of Paul Pogba who made 128 appearances and scored 28 goals for Juventus between 2012 and 2016.
Let us delve deep into the analysis. There's a huge contrast between the two teams on the basis of current form.
Defensively speaking, Juventus have conceded only 8 goals in the league this season. The statistic is only bettered by Inter in the league. They are yet to give away a goal in the Champions League.
On the other hand, Manchester United are leaking goals left right and centre. So far, they have given away 18 goals in the league this season. Only five other teams in the league have conceded more. This is not something you would expect from a team that had the second best defensive record in the entirety of last season. Deficiency in the defensive sector is the major reason for their downfall this season.
In the attacking department, Juventus has no shortage of flair. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Douglas Costa can rip apart any team at will while the mastery of Paulo Dybala can turn even the most experienced defenders into mere spectators.
Meanwhile, Manchester United currently lack ambition in their attack. At the moment, Martial seems like the only proper attacking threat. The French-man seems at home in the left wing position and has been producing decent output. Other than that, Sanchez has been criminally under-performing. While Rashford seems like a shadow of himself, Juan Mata lacks the pace and agility to do justice to the right wing position.
All in all, it seems as if the crucial three points will go towards the home team. United need to step up their game exponentially if they want to get on the same page as the Italian giants. However, the beautiful game is also a very complicated one. A French philosopher once said, 'In football everything is complicated by the presence of the opposite team'. Maybe, we could get a competitive affair between the two powerhouses of the game.