Juventus vs Porto prediction, preview, team news and more | UEFA Champions League 2020-21
Juventus face a season-defining UEFA Champions League clash as they host FC Porto at the Allianz Stadium in Turin on Tuesday night.
With Inter Milan still favorites for the Serie A title, the Bianconeri have an uphill task of overcoming a first-leg deficit to progress to the quarterfinals.
It was a disaster in Porto in the first leg, as Juventus were caught napping at the start of both halves. Goals from Mehdi Taremi and Moussa Maregagaveg the hosts a 2-0 lead.
Federico Chiesa scored an important away goal late on and there was some late controversy as Cristiano Ronaldo was denied a penalty in the final moments.
Andrea Pirlo's men come into this fixture on the back of a couple of hugely impressive results. They first swatted away a tricky Spezia with a 3-0 scoreline, before producing a stellar comeback to defeat Lazio 3-1 on the weekend.
In contrast, Porto crashed out of the Taca de Portugal at the semifinal stage, losing 2-3 (agg 3-4) to 10-man Braga.
A 2-0 away win over relegation-threatened Gil Vicente followed. However, that was scant consolation as Porto are 10 points behind league leaders and rivals Sporting Lisbon.
Juventus vs Porto Head-to-Head
Juventus and Porto have faced each other only six times in their history. The first match was the 1983-84 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final in Basel, which Juventus won 2-1.
The Bianconeri have won four of their six games, with Porto's 2-1 win in February being the first time the Portuguese side have defeated the Old Lady.
The Dragoes have a terrible record in Italy, losing eight and drawing three of their 15 games.
Juventus form in Serie A : W-W-D-W-L
Porto form in Primeira Liga: W-D-W-D-D
Juventus vs Porto Team News
Juventus
Andrea Pirlo welcomed back Leonardo Bonucci, Juan Cuadrado and Arthur from injury against Lazio. However, Matthias De Ligt continues to be assessed. Paulo Dybala and Giorgio Chiellini remain on the sidelines.
Meanwhile, Rodrigo Bentancur is continuing his recovery from COVID-19. Danilo is suspended for this match.
Cristiano Ronaldo was partially rested against Lazio, and is certain to start alongside Alvaro Morata upfront. Weston McKennie is also in the mix to start alongside Adrien Rabiot in midfield.
Injured: Paulo Dybala, Giorgio Chiellini
COVID-19: Rodrigo Bentancur
Doubtful: Matthias De Ligt
Suspended: Danilo
Porto
Sergio Conceicao welcomed Ivan Marcano back in the defeat to Braga in the Portuguese Cup. The defender may feature in this match, with fellow centre-back Chancel Mbemba injured. Diogo Leite is likely to step in for Mbemba, with Malang Sarr also an option.
Pepe's participation from the start is in doubt, but should be fit come matchday. Apart from those changes, Conceicao is likely to stick with the same lineup that defeated Juventus, with Mehdi Taremi and Moussa Marega leading the line.
Injured: Chancel Mbemba, Mouhamed Mbaye
Doubtful: Pepe
Suspended: None
Juventus vs Porto Predicted XI
Juventus Predicted XI (3-4-1-2): Wojciech Szczesny (GK); Merih Demiral, Leonardo Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Juan Cuadrado, Adrien Rabiot, Weston McKinnie, Federico Chiesa; Dejan Kulusevsji; Alvaro Morata, Cristiano Ronaldo
Porto Predicted XI (4-4-2): Augustin Marchesin (GK); Zaidu Sanusi, Diogo Leite, Pepe, Wilson Manafá; Jesus Corona, Sergio Oliveira, Mateus Uribe, Otávio; Moussa Marega, Mehdi Taremi
Juventus vs Porto Prediction
There were plenty of brickbats aimed at Juventus after their first-leg performance, yet the Bianconeri remain in the tie. Their defense will likely concede again, but Cristiano Ronaldo and Alvaro Morata's form should see them triumph on aggregate.
We nonetheless expect a nervy contest, with Juventus eventually sneaking through.
Prediction: Juventus 3-1 Porto (4-3 agg)