Juventus has no right to make mistakes with Porto. Porto can take advantage of Juve’s instability as they have nothing to lose.
On the second game day of the eighth final of the Champions League, the Italian champion Juventus are involved in the case!
The Turin Grand will face Portugal, the best club in Portugal, as guests. On paper, Andra Pirlo’s team is a favorite. But Juve are so volatile this season that it is very difficult to predict.
Especially if we recall the past seasons – Juve last year Lyon was expelled from the Champions League, before that Ajax and in both cases, the Turin Grand was a clear favorite. By the way, all this after the Italians bought Cristiano Ronaldo. By comparison, without Ronaldo, Juventus were much more productive in the Champions League, reaching the final twice and losing twice in dramatic battles with the mighty Bayern and Real Madrid.
All this shows that Juventus have a more difficult time when they are favorite. The “Old Lady” is so volatile in Serie A that she is 8 points behind leader Inter. Clearly, Pirlo has many critics because of such results. On the other hand, neither Proto shines. They are in the 2nd place in the Portuguese championship. But they have 10 points behind the leader Sporting, and it will be difficult to fight for the title.
Sergio Conceicao will miss only defender Nanu, who suffered a serious injury a week ago and was taken off the pitch directly by ambulance. There are bigger problems at Juventus. Juan Cuadrado, Leonardo Bonucci, Paulo Dybala and Arthur will not play, which is a big blow for Pirlo’s team. The issue of Aaron Ramsey is also in question.
Sergio Conceicao (Porto head coach):
“We will create problems for Juventus because it’s in Porto’s DNA. We have to remember to take a different approach during the game and try to get a positive result. No more, despite losing to Napoli, they have conceded just 2 goals in their last 8 games and play solid and consistent football in defense. This club has a very distinctive mentality, and they won 3: 0 in Barcelona! Cristiano can decide the fate of the game at any moment, and he is a fabulous player. Therefore, we have to play compactly and firmly. ”
Andrea Pirlo (Juventus head coach):
“Porto is a different team from us. They focus on attacking more in the domestic league, but in Europe, they are more careful. We try to play in different ways, but sometimes we have to defend. The Champions League is a unique tournament. “And it depends on the moment you meet this or that team. Mental readiness is also important.”