In one of the most anticipated matches after the groups were drawn, Juventus are hosing Chelsea in Turin. This game has a lot of weight for both teams, as they put a lot of importance on the Champions League as a competition. Obviously, Chelsea won it last year and they have assembled a great squad for this season, trying to be the second team since 1992 to repeat as champions. Juventus, on the other hand, are severely missing this trophy in this generation, where they won nine league titles in ten years.
Both teams come into the game stumbling in a sense. Juventus have started the Serie A season incredibly poorly, only securing a win against Spezia, and even that win was through a late winner by De Ligt. They really need a boost right now and a win in this game might be that galvanizer to turn the season around. Chelsea started great in all competitions but lost a key game against Manchester City on their own turf. Now, they need an away win in Italy to quickly forget about the weekend game in the domestic league.
Here are three predictions for this Champions League clash.
Juventus v Chelsea Champions League predictions
Juventus will remain perfect in the Champions League after this game
After a poor start that has been well documented, Juventus really needs a big game to turn the season around. There is a thing with teams of this stature, where the past form does not necessarily mean that the team will not perform. Big teams, and Juventus is one of them, have a way of motivating themselves before huge games to get the result at the end.
Chelsea is a formidable opponent, but this Juventus team has a ton of quality which is yet to be shown this season. Their best player is probably De Ligt, but that mantle could be taken over by Paulo Dybala as the season progresses. The Argentinian wizard is slowly coming to his own, after being forgotten by the last two Juve coaches. In the Champions League, the biggest football stage in Europe, Dybala might shine and take this away from Chelsea.
Additionally, Moise Kean scored a goal against Spezia that might give him the confidence he needs. He is truly a quality player, someone that shined in PSG last season, but he needs the confidence to perform. With Morata on the roster and Allegri adamant about playing one striker, Kean might not have a lot of space to operate. However, if he can use the space given, Kean will be a top-level contributor to Juventus, as they should be winning this game.
Chelsea will struggle, just like against Man City
The Chelsea midfield is something magical, on their best day. Three quality midfielders in Kante, Jorginho, and Kovacic, whose skillsets do not overlap and work perfectly together. That could have been seen last season especially, since they quite literally took the mantle from the past best midfield in Europe – Modric, Kroos, Casemiro.
However, the start of the season has not been promising. While they had good games, Jorginho seems to be a touch out of form, while Kante has injury issues and it is clear he is not 100%. Kovacic is trying his best but without the support of these two on their best games, it is difficult to assume Kovacic can carry. Additionally, the new signing Saul Niguez has not had the best of starts for the Blues, so relying on him might not be the greatest idea.
Of course, the Chelsea team still has tons of quality in other positions. Romelu Lukaku is a stud, and so are Kai Havertz and Mason Mount. However, in the Champions League, they will need their midfield to perform to win games against these kinds of opposition. Juventus might be struggling, but they are still a giant team and Chelsea might lose two in a row, after their 0-1 defeat against City on Saturday.
Alvaro Morata will score a goal…or two
Morata has tons of motivation. He was a part of Chelsea from 2017 until 2020, and the fans did not enjoy him one second. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, he had a lot of negative moments in the blue shirt and did not fit in well with the squad. He was sent on loan to Atletico Madrid in the last year he spent as, officially, a Chelsea player.
This is all motivation for the striker, who loves scoring against his former teams. Famously, he scored important goals in his first stint in Juventus, with the most important being in the semi-finals of the 2016 Champions League against Real Madrid. Morata will look to shut up all the Chelsea disbelievers who doubted his ability in his stint with the Blues.
Follow Us
Subscribe