Preview: Los Blancos take on the Old Lady in clash of European royalty
Juventus coach Igor Tudor is hoping to wake up the Old Lady’s misfiring attack as they visit Real Madrid in the Champions League.
By Filip Mishov
The in-form LaLiga leaders welcome underperforming Juve
Allan Nyom’s ridiculous red card set Real Madrid on course to secure a late win at Getafe and return to the top of LaLiga ahead of an important week in Madrid featuring this blockbuster clash against Juventus in the Champions League, followed by Sunday’s highly-anticipated edition of El Clásico.
Even though the Whites’ performances have rarely been eye-catching this season, their results are, as Xabi Alonso‘s squad are currently on a three-match winning streak and remain undefeated at the Bernabéu, and have enjoyed a flawless start to their Champions League campaign.
The Italian club’s trip to Madrid comes at a difficult time with Juventus winless in six consecutive matches and fresh from losing to Como in Serie A, inviting pressure on Igor Tudor to inspire a change of fortunes.
Furthermore, the under-fire Croat already suffered at the hands of Xabi Alonso’s sides in the Round of 16 at the FIFA Club World Cup over the summer, and although the Turin-based club’s last visit to Bernabéu ended in a victory (1-3) back in 2018, Real Madrid ultimately progressed in the tie and also beat them in the Champions League final the year before.
Key players
Arda Güler has established himself as one of Real Madrid’s most efficient players this season, alongside their star men up front, as the Turkish prodigy is the squad’s joint-top assists maker (4) as well as leading chance creator (23) in LaLiga. Also, the attacking midfielder has started in all but two matches this campaign and is averaging a FotMob rating of 7.87, which puts him only behind Vinícius Júnior (7.92) and Kylian Mbappé (8.62).
Another Turkish rising star is currently holding court in Turin and Kenan Yıldız‘s influence is growing exponentially, with the 20-year-old even finishing the last match wearing the captain’s armband. Just like his compatriot, the tricky forward is the top assist provider (3) and best chance creator (18) for Juventus in Serie A, earning him a FotMob rating of (7.39), the best of any forward in the team.
Team news
Xabi Alonso welcomed back captain Daniel Carvajal to first-team training, and although the 33-year-old is suspended for the Juventus showdown, it is a much-needed boost after losing David Alaba to an injury, while Ferland Mendy and Trent Alexander-Arnold are nearing returns on the pitch and might be involved on Wednesday. Antonio Rüdiger, Dean Huijsen and Dani Ceballos remain absent and will most likely miss El Clásico as well.
For Juve, Fabio Miretti and Edon Zhegrova were involved in the final training session ahead of this match, but Gleison Bremer and Juan Cabal remain sidelined, while it will be interesting to see whether Igor Tudor will switch back to 3-4-2-1 after failing to outsmart Cesc Fàbregas‘ Como with a 4-3-3.
Prediction
Real Madrid have won all but one match this season (10 from 11) and are averaging three goals per game over their past five, making them inevitable favourites against a Juventus side who are struggling. I expect Xabi Alonso’s squad to come out on top and head into El Clásico high on confidence.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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