UEFA Champions League 2019/2020, Juventus 1-0 Atletico Madrid: 3 Talking PointsÂ
Juventus hosted Atletico Madrid in one of the marquee matches of matchday 5 of the Champions League and they ran out 1-0 winners in what was an expectedly cagey affair.
The Bianconerri have been in spectacular form this season and are yet to taste defeat in 18 matches in all competitions and came into the fixture in high spirits, having posted an impressive 3-1 victory away to Atalanta over the weekend.
The last time Atletico Madrid visited this stadium, they were on the receiving end of a demoralizing 3-0 defeat inspired by Cristiano Ronaldo and Diego Simeone would have been wary of the threat posed by the Portuguese icon.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner has, however, been beneath his usual best this season, having struggled with injury concerns and he was some way off the pace in the match, but ultimately, Juventus still did enough, with a first-half injury-time goal by Paulo Dybala enough to hand them all three points.
In this piece, we shall be highlighting three talking points from the Champions League clash at the Juventus Stadium.
#3 Juventus secure top spot in Group D
Juventus secured automatic qualification after defeating Lokomotiv Moscow on matchday 4, but with 10 points, they were just three points ahead of Diego Simone's Atletico Madrid.
A victory for the visitors would have seen both teams equal on points, but the Spanish side would have had the advantage by virtue of their superior head-to-head record.
Juventus needed a win to secure top spot and they did just that, with the three points gotten on the night moving them to 13 points, six points clear of second-placed Atleti with just one round of matches left.
Although there are still some quality teams who could finish second such as Real Madrid, Dortmund, Tottenham, and Chelsea, ostensibly, it is preferable to top a group and avoid the heavy-hitters like Manchester City, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and PSG.
Maurizio Sarri would have wanted to secure top spot to earn a potentially favorable second-round tie and his charges did just that, which would ease the pressure in their last fixture against Bayer Leverkusen.
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