Juventus and Barcelona face off in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday night at Juventus Stadium.
Juventus has been cruising in the Serie A and has had no real difficulties getting to the Champions League quarterfinals.
The Bianconeri have won 10 of their last 12 league matches with the other two results being draws. The team has not lost since a 2-1 defeat to Juventus on January 15. Juventus did lose to rival Napoli 3-2 in Coppa Italia action, but advanced on aggregate 5-4.
One of the draws mentioned was also against Napoli at the Stadio San Paolo prior to the Coppa Italia game. A draw at Napoli is usually a good result and Juve was able to secure a point.
This past weekend, Massimiliano Allegri’s squad defeated Chievo Verona 2-0 to bounce back from the Napoli draw and loss. Gonzalo Higuain continued his goal-scoring form and the win kept Juventus in first place by six points ahead of second-place Roma. The lead may seem smaller than recent years, but the Old Lady hasn’t been put in any real danger to lose the first place spot in the table.
Juventus made quick work of FC Porto in the Champions League in the round of 16. The Italian side defeated Porto in Portugal 2-0 before securing a quarterfinals spot with a 1-0 home win to go through 3-0 on aggregate.
The club also topped its group in the group stages. Juve finished first in Group H with 14 points, winning four and drawing two matches. The Italian giants have looked good in all competitions and should be able to match up well with Barcelona.
The Spanish side has lost two of its last five matches. The biggest loss comes in the form of a 2-0 loss to Malaga on Saturday.
The loss keeps Barcelona in second place in La Liga, first place Real Madrid has a three point lead and a game in hand. Therefore, the loss affects the Blaugrana in the pursuit of first place.
The situation gets tougher with Barcelona’s upcoming schedule. The Spanish giants have to play against Juventus on Tuesday and then again on April 19 before facing off with Los Blancos in El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabéu on April 23. However, a win against their rivals would give Barcelona a better chance at winning the title.
Barcelona’s comeback against Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League round of 16 is what many fans are thinking about when the club is mentioned within the tournament’s parameters.
PSG defeated Barcelona 4-0 in the first leg of the round of 16. Many fans thought Barça would bow out of the tournament early. However, the second leg of the tie turned out to be one of the greatest comebacks in history.
Barcelona defeated PSG 6-1 in order to advance 6-5 on aggregate. The Catalonia-based side scored two goals in injury time in order to overcome the odds and advance. Therefore, Barcelona can never be counted out. Led by Messi, the side will be ready for a showdown with Juventus.
Head to Head
These two clubs last faced off in the Champions League final in 2015. The match saw Barelona defeat the Italians by a final score of 3-1, in which was a tighter game than the score-line may show.
The score was tied at 1-1 after Alvaro Morata scored for Juventus in the 55th minute. However, Suarez put Barcelona back up at 2-1 in the 68th minute before Neymar scored the third in the 97th minute.
Prior to that matchup, the teams had last faced off in the Champions League quarterfinals in 2013. Juventus drew Barcelona 1-1 in Spain before a 1-1 result in Turin forced extra time. Ultimately, Juventus defeated Juventus 2-1 thanks to a 114th minute goal by Marcelo Zalayeta. Juventus went through 3-2 on aggregate.
Players to Watch
Gonzalo Higuain
Higuain has scored 24 goals in all competitions for the Bianconeri in his first season with the club. Three of the striker’s 24 goals have come in the Champions League this season.
The Argentinian will be the player to watch for Juventus as he looks to continue scoring against the Barcelona defense. Paulo Dybala will be there to help, but Higuain’s movement will have to be at its best if Juventus want to succeed.
The 29-year-old possesses the ability to dribble the ball to get himself open, good passing quality and can do layoffs to create a scoring opportunity. Higuain is also physical and his finishing is top-notch. The forward has scored four goals in his last two matches, and Juve will need him to score again on Tuesday.
Lionel Messi
While it’s obvious that Messi is Barcelona’s best player, the match up with Juventus’ defense will be interesting to watch.
Messi plays on the right-wing in the most dangerous attacking trio in the world, so he will be matched up with left-back Alex Sandro and will
also find the center-back pair of Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini backing up Sandro.
The Italian side has the best defense in all of Italy. The club has only allowed 20 goals in 31 matches.
Messi has scored 38 goals in all competitions with 11 coming in Champions League play. Barcelona will need some more of Messi’s magic if they want to get past Juventus.
Prediction
The first leg will be at Juventus Stadium in Turin and therefore, I predict a Juventus win.
Higuain and Dybala have been a great duo in attack for the Bianconeri thus far this season. Higuain has also been on a scoring tear in the past two games after not scoring in five matches.
The midfield for Juventus is also very strong and I expect it to be able to go head to head with Barcelona’s midfield, which isn’t as strong as it has been in recent years.
I also expect Juventus’ defense to be ready for Barcelona’s devastating trio. Although on the older side of age, Barzagli and Chiellini are still two great defenders. Former Barcelona fullback, Dani Alves has also been great for Juventus in the Champions League this season. He and Brazilian fullback Alex Sandro will provide a lot going forward.
Juventus will score two goals at home in my opinion, but I do think they will concede at least one goal. Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez present a constant threat for any opposition and I think they can break even the great Juventus defense.
Therefore, I’m going with a 2-1 Juventus win at Juventus Stadium in this first leg match-up.