Juventus vs Atletico Madrid: Bianconeri looking to seize top spot in quartet
Juventus will be looking to seize top spot in their Champions League quartet when Atletico Madrid come to Turin on Tuesday evening.
With three wins and a draw so far, Maurizio Sarri’s side are the only unbeaten team in their group, and have already secured their spot in the round of 16. Now they’ll be aiming to complete their group stage campaign on a high note by beating Diego Simeone’s side on matchday five, which would definitely send them into the knockout rounds as group winners.
The first meeting between the two sides earlier this season was a rather nervy affair for Sarri’s men, as Juve threw away a two goal advantage to barely hang on for a two-all draw. Last season, under Massimiliano Allegri, they dumped Los Rojiblancos out of the competition thanks to a stunning performance from none other than Cristiano Ronaldo, so it goes without saying that the Madrid-based outfit will be looking for some modicum of revenge this time around.
However, Diego Simeone’s battle-hardened troops have been dealt a major blow due to the absence of veteran striker Diego Costa, who’s now out for the long haul due to a back injury. In addition, defenders Jose Gimenez, Stefan Savić, and Sime Vrsaljko are all struggling with injuries, with the latter not even expected to feature. Both Gimenez and Savić are major doubts for this upcoming game due to hamstring problems and even if they do pass a late fitness test, they won’t be at 100 per cent – making for worrying reading for Simeone as to who exactly will have to deal with the attacking threats of Paulo Dybala, Gonzalo Higuain, and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Higuain in particular has looked especially revitalized under Sarri’s tenure since coming back from two frustrating loan spells at AC Milan and Chelsea, and really looks like he’s enjoying his football again. Dybala, who looked to be on the chopping block when Sarri arrived, has also been re-integrated with much success and has formed a good pairing with his fellow Argentine – but there’s been some rumblings about where exactly does this leave Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese star didn’t react well to being subbed off by Sarri before the international break, and was benched for Juve’s recent win against Atalanta over the weekend. Inevitably, questions have started to arise as to how he’s going to fit in alongside Higuain and Dybala. He’s expected to feature, but it will be interesting to see where he slots in to the starting XI or if he comes off the bench.
