FC Barcelona are set to take on Juventus in the first champions league group game on Tuesday, 12 September 2017 at Camp Nou. Barcelona will be slightly favourite going into the game but we all know they are not the same team as couple of years ago and Juventus have added pace and flair upfront with Douglas Costa, Higuain and Dybala wrecking havoc upfront. The game is scheduled to kickoff at around 19:45 uk time and we will have match highlights after the match is over..
First Leg Preview: Barcelona are coming into this game on the back of a devastating loss in the hands of Malaga which jolted their title challenge but Luis Enrique’s side are still alive in three major competitions and they will be looking to gather the pace as the season approaches its finale. However Sergio Busquets is suspended which means Barcelona will have to start with a makeshift midfield where Iniesta, Rakitic and Mascherano are expected to start with Neymar, Messi and Suarez playing upfront.
Juventus on the other hand are flying high in the league and all set for another Serie A title but thats not the priority this year as they have the squad to win Champions League. Marko Pjaca is out injured for rest of the season but apart from that Juventus are well rested and in good shape to lineup with their strongest possible team.
This is how I expect both teams to lineup on Tuesday, 11 April 2017 for the first leg in Turin.
Match Predictions: Last time these two meet was back in 2015 Champions League final where Barcelona came from a goal down to win 3-1 thanks to incredible individual performance by Neymar. Juventus however are much more verstile since than and should pose a major threat for a very unpredictable Barcelona side. Dani Alves and Alex Sandro will play as full backs and that is where Barcelona are likely to struggle as both Neymar and Messi will be marked by not one but two players at all times. I am going with a home win in first leg albeit a narrow one.