Sports Mole gives a preview of the Champions League game between Juventus and Zenit St. Petersburg on Tuesday, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Group H leader with the maximum number of points so far, Juventus try to seal a double over Zenit Saint Petersburg by doing Champions League on Tuesday.
Although the Bianconeri are already nearing the round of 16, they are struggling domestically while Zenit are at the top of the Russian Premier League but lagging behind in the group after losing to the hosts in Russia this week.
Game preview
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Although Juventus is in the unknown territory of Serie A midfield after the events at the weekend – after a 2-1 defeat at Hellas Verona – the Turin giants have so far been in their resilient top form in Europe.
After winning all three Group H games without conceding a goal, the Old Lady is ready to make it to the knockout stage with a home win against an opponent they defeated just two weeks ago.
A late one Dejan Kulusevski Strike broke Zenit’s resistance the last time the teams met when he went home Mattia De SciglioFour minutes before the end of a closely contested duel in Russia’s cultural capital.
The Swedish attacker’s late intervention kept Juve three points ahead of defending champions Chelsea, Zenit stayed at three points and underdog Malmö failed to score or score.
Despite all their domestic hardships last year, the Bianconeri have a record of 13 wins from their last 14 Champions League group games before returning on Tuesday, and precedents speak for them too.
Juventus have never lost a continental clash with a Russian opponent in their entire history – eight times as winners and one time – and only lost five of their 47 European Cup games at the Allianz Stadium. However, four of those defeats have come in their last 15 home games, reflecting the drop in standards at a club eliminated in the last 16 in each of the last two seasons.
Max AllegriThe return to Turin wasn’t smooth either, as Saturday’s loss followed a last-minute loss to Sassuolo.
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After the late defeat on matchday three, Zenit certainly showed hardly any signs of a hangover, as the reigning Russian champions have won both league games confidently since the defeat against Juventus: on Friday 4-1 against Dinamo Moscow, as claudinho hit the net for the second time in a row after beating Spartak 7-1 at home.
This remarkable result represents the biggest win over the Muscovites in the history of the league and leaves Zenitchiki five points ahead of the top of the table as they aim for their fourth straight national title.
Successive successes have brightened the mood in Sergei Semakin the camp, as they had previously lost three games in a row in all competitions, but to bring this form to the Champions League stage is often a step too far for the St. Petersburg team.
After losing to Juve last time, Zenit have now lost eight of the last ten games in Europe’s elite club competition – won only one – and have finished fourth in the group in each of the last two seasons.
While Malmö’s inability could save them from that fate for the third straight year, any hopes of making it into the last 16 instead of getting a reassuring pass to the Europa League are heavily influenced by events this Tuesday against a colorless Juventus- Depend on a team that is under production pressure.
Juventus Champions League form:
Juventus form (all competitions):
Zenit St. Petersburg Champions League form:
Zenit St. Petersburg Form (all competitions):
Team news
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Max Allegri may make changes to his starting XI in the face of a terrible week in Serie A and hopes to do so Federico Chiesa back from a muscle injury that kept him away over the weekend.
The participation of Aaron Ramsey (also muscular) and Moise Kean (Thigh) remains questionable but Juventus only have Mattia De Sciglio as a confirmed failure, with a thigh problem that will keep him away until after the international break.
As always, Allegri has to pick two of three strong contenders in the central defender, one of whom is the old-age idiot Giorgio Chiellini, who last time Juve hosted Zenit in the Champions League, in 2008, when Alessandro Del Piero scored the only goal for the Bianconeri.
Another candidate is Leonardo Bonucci, who played his 100th UEFA club competition game during the game in St. Petersburg, and both Italian internationals are on the 30-man shortlist for this year’s Ballon d’Or. Matthijs de Ligt has the unenviable task of displacing one of the couples who started on Saturday.
Zenit’s hopes were dampened by the loss of the left-back Douglas Santos, who was substituted for Spartak early due to a muscle strain and then missed the win against Dinamo. In the meantime, Magomed Ozdoev has not yet returned from a knee ligament injury suffered in the summer.
The visitor’ Artem dzyuba became the all-time Russian league scorer on Friday with 144 goals, three minutes after being introduced as a substitute.
Dzyuba failed to score in Zenit’s first seven league games this season but has now scored in six games in a row and has strong aspirations to start in Turin. Sardar AzmounHowever, in Sergei Semak’s preferred 4-3-2-1 formation, he’s the favorite to take the lead.
Juventus possible starting line-up:
Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, De Ligt, Sandro; Cuadrado, Bentancur, Locatelli, Church; Morata, Dybala
Zenit St. Petersburg possible starting line-up:
Kritsyuk; Lovren, Tschistjakow, Rakitskyj; Sutormin, Kuzyaev, Wendel, Karavaev; Malcom, Azmoun, Claudinho
We say: Juventus 1-0 Zenit St. Petersburg
Juventus have made it a habit of scoring narrow Champions League victories this season and they can continue to do so at the Allianz Stadium despite their stalled Serie A status.
Zenit scored free goals last week but will find less space than their home opponents allow them and their desperation over the points could bring them back to the Bianconeri.
Top tip
Our expert tipster partners at Sporita.com forecast less than 3.5 goals in this game. Click here to see what else they are predicting for this game and for more proven soccer tips.Under 3.5: data
The post Preview: Juventus vs. Zenit St. Petersburg first appeared on Daily Florida Press.
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