Match Preview: Chelsea face Juventus in Champions League Matchweek 2
Reigning Champions League winner Chelsea faces Serie A side Juventus in their second game of the 2021-22 Champions League campaign. The Blues will be traveling to Allianz Stadium for this highly anticipated Group H match on Wednesday at noon PST. The Blues will be hoping to bounce back after a tough defeat to Manchester City last weekend, while the Italian giants will be looking to win their third consecutive match in a row.
Photo by Chelsea FC via Twitter
Chelsea began their Champions League title defense by defeating Russian side Zenit St Petersburg 1 - 0, with Romelu Lukaku heading in the only goal. They come into this fixture with four wins in their five previous games across all competitions. The one defeat came last weekend against Manchester City, where Thomas Tuchel’s side had the opportunity to claim a fourth consecutive win against the defending Premier League champions. However, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City showcased an excellent performance with the contest ending 1 - 0. A win against Juventus would be a great way for the Blues to commence a strong run of form with a more favorable set of fixtures coming up following this Champions League clash.
Team News-
Confirmed Out: Christian Pulisic (ankle), Mason Mount (knock), Reece James (ankle), N’golo Kante (COVID-19)
Photo by Juventus FC via Twitter
Juventus had a disappointing start to the Serie A season, failing to record a win in their first four games. However, they responded with back-to-back victories against Spezia and Sampdoria. The Italian side opened their Champions League campaign with a comfortable 3 - 0 win against Swedish side Malmo. Juventus will be without two key players; forwards Alvaro Morata and Paulo Dybala. Both came off injured against Sampdoria last weekend.
Team News-
Confirmed Out: Paulo Dybala (thigh), Alvaro Morata (hamstring), Arthur (leg)
Predicted Starting XI:
Chelsea:
Mendy, Chilwell, Rudiger, Silva, Christensen, Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kovacic, Havertz, Lukaku, Werner
Juventus:
Szczesny, Sandro, Chiellini, Bonucci, Danilo, Bentancur, Locatelli, Rabiot, Chiesa, Kulusevski, Kean
Score Prediction: Chelsea 2 - 0 Juventus
I believe the Blues will bounce back with a convincing win over Juventus after a tough defeat over the weekend. Who do you think will come out victorious?