A trip to Turin!
Chelsea travel to Turin to play Juventus in a Champions League Group Stage match on Wednesday. Juventus sit 10th in Serie A with 2 wins 2 draws and 2 losses to their name this season. The season did start poorly for Allegri and co but they have now managed to go 3 unbeaten in the league progressing steadily up the table. Juventus beat Malmo 0-3 in the last group stage match and have since drawn one and won two of their games. It is a season of transition for Allegri as he returns to once again take Juventus to the pinnacle of Italian football. Ronaldo’s absence albeit welcomed has taken them some time to get used to.
Chelsea go into this game having lost to Man City on Saturday. It was a game in which the team was below par when it came to the standards they have set for themselves. We were second best in most departments and our pressing was no where near the required levels. The last 3-4 games have seen Chelsea struggling a bit when it comes to output on the pitch and our dominant performances that spanned 90 minutes have been left at 45 minutes. Many will say that it is the goal scoring that has been lacking and the attacking output from our forward players is no where near the levels. That might be the case but I would say that it is our lack of intensity in the press that is costing us our momentum in games. City won the game on Saturday because they wanted it more than us. We defended well and when we brought on Havertz we attacked well as well. Some finer details are missing though.
Chelsea Team Preview
Tuchel has said that Kante is out because he tested positive. Reece James is out with injury and so are Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic. Mendy should start in goal with a back three of Christinsen, Silva, and Rudiger. Azpilicueta should start at right wing back and I would start Ben Chilwell at left wing back. Kovacic, and Jorginho should start in midfield. Loftus-Cheek has impressed and should start as the 3rd midfielder. Up top Lukaku will start and alongside him I think Havertz will be given the nod ahead of Werner for this game. It’s a good lineup with plenty of options on the bench but the fact remains that our forward players need to start clicking.
Juventus Team Preview
For Juventus Dybala, Morata, and Ramsey are out of the game. Szczesny should start in goal for them with a back four of Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, and Sandro. Chiesa, Locatelli, Bentancur, and Bernanrdeschi should start in the midfield. With Dybala and Morata both out Kulusevski, and Moise Kean should start up top. Allegri has stuck with the 4-4-2 this season and it has paid dividends for him in recent games. The likes of Morata, and Dybala will be a big miss for them but Kean is a dangerous player and so is Kulusevski. Chiesa is an amazing winger while Locatelli is an all action midfielder. It’s a good team on paper that is just beginning to pick up pace.
Starting XI Prediction
The Oscar double comes to mind when I think of Chelsea up against Juventus. Juventus might have started slowly but they have found some momentum heading into this game while Chelsea and Tuchel will want to bounce back and go on a run after the City loss. A big game and an interesting one, COME ON CHELSEA!!!.
Park The Bus 