In the round of 16 of the Europa League, Juventus will play home to Bundesliga upstart Freiburg on Thursday night to put domestic issues behind them and move closer to winning some hardware.
Team Form
Juventus
Despite being the clear favorites to progress in their playoff tie against Nantes, Juventus were stunned by a blistering counter-attack resulting in a home draw. However, they made up for it in the away leg as Angel Di Maria scored a hat-trick against 10-man opponents.
After being knocked out from the Champions League group phase, where they lost five times, the Bianconeri were embarrassed and had to bounce back.
And they did so in style, embarking on a long winning run in Serie A without conceding a single goal. But, they were humbled for the second time this season by Serie A newcomers Monza.
Despite that, Juventus managed to surge towards the top six in the standings despite a heavy points deduction for financial indiscretions derailing their challenge. They had a positive run of results that lasted eight matches.
Still, Roma stopped it in its tracks in a high-profile clash at the Stadio Olimpico. Gianluca Mancini scored a screamer that split the sides. Juve striker Moise Kean was sent off late, only moments after leaving the bench.
Juventus Form (All Competitions): D W W W L
Freiburg
Freiburg is set to face Juventus for the first time in their history, and it’s also their first competitive meeting with an Italian opponent.
Not accustomed to midweek nights under the bright lights of Europe, the Black Forest club will look forward to testing their skills against one of the continent’s most illustrious teams.
Freiburg has enjoyed its best run this season despite being relatively inexperienced in either the UEFA Cup or Europa League. They are one of the three teams to go undefeated through the group phase, having won four times.
While they may have slipped outside the Bundesliga’s top four following a goalless draw at Gladbach, they are still in contention for a top-four spot, sitting only two points shy of Union Berlin. The latter is also still standing in this year’s Europa League, adding to the excitement of the competition.
Freiburg Form (All Competitions): W W W D D
Squad Report
Juventus
The bench appearances of Federico Chiesa and Paul Pogba on Sunday have put them in contention to start in the midweek game. Fabio Miretti, who plays midfield, has recovered from an ankle injury.
At the same time, Polish forward Arkadiusz Milik will be unavailable for the upcoming match. Therefore, Dusan Vlahovic and Angel Di Maria will likely be paired up front again.
Freiburg
Despite being unwell, Ritsu Doan made it to the bench on Saturday, and he is likely to start in the upcoming game. Unfortunately, Daniel-Kofi Kyereh sustained an ACL injury last month, which has ended his season prematurely.
Juventus’ predicted starting lineup:
Szczesny; Danilo, Bremer, Bonucci; Cuadrado, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Chiesa; Di Maria; Vlahovic
Freiburg’s predicted starting lineup:
Flekken; Kubler, Ginter, Lienhart, Gunter; Eggestein, Hofler; Doan, Gregoritsch, Grifo; Holer
Head to Head
The two teams will meet for the first time in a competitive game.
Time, Date & Venue
Date: Thursday, March 09
Time: 08:00 pm, UTC
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Turin
Prediction
Juventus is facing a crucial challenge following recent events at the club. With a point to prove, the Bianconeri hopes to showcase their clear-mindedness and determination when they take on Freiburg.
While Freiburg is far from pushovers, Juventus boasts a squad filled with individual quality and experience at this level. This gives them an advantage, and they will be looking to make the most of it by taking the lead to Germany next week.
