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Juventus host Manchester City on Wednesday in one of the most anticipated matches on Matchday 6 of the UEFA Champions League, with both sides aiming to move up as the competition phase nears its end.
City, the 2022-2023 champions, are 17th and very much in focus for a knockout position, although they still have some room for improvement with two wins in five. They are two places ahead of Juventus but only on goal difference, making Wednesday’s match in Italy a fascinating litmus test for two teams with a point to prove.
Here’s what you need to know before you tune in.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Wednesday December 11 | Time: 3:00 PM ET
- Location: Allianz Stadium – Turin, Italy
- Watch: Biggest+
- Chances: Juventus +300; Sign +240; Manchester City-105
Storylines
Juventus: Thiago Motta’s side are still unbeaten in Serie A and have suffered just one defeat in the Champions League, although they have arguably left a lot of points on the table with 11 draws between the two competitions so far this season. Their defense remains the foundation of their tactical identity, conceding 15 goals in 20 games in Serie A and the Champions League, and will undoubtedly be the starting point for their strategy to suffocate City. Goals are difficult for Juve to achieve in the Champions League. So far they have scored just seven goals in five games, although they will have this season’s top scorers Dusan Vlahovic and Timothy Weah available on Wednesday. Weah’s club and country teammate Weston McKennie could also be in contention after recently dealing with muscle fatigue.
Manchester City: If there is one team that needs to reverse course, it is Manchester City. The English champions have won just one match in their last nine matches, a run that included a 4-1 defeat to Sporting Lisbon and a surprise 3-3 draw against Feyenoord in the Champions League, raising questions over which version of the team will appear. Wednesday in Turin. Pep Guardiola’s side continue to experience problems across the pitch, most notably defensive instability. They have conceded 21 goals in that nine-match spell, keeping just one clean sheet, but have failed to limit the damage in attack. City have scored just 12 goals in that period and scored one or fewer goals in six games, which is a far cry from the high scoring habits the team has boasted in recent years. While Erling Haaland continues to be in strong form this year with 18 goals in all competitions, it is unclear where else the goals are coming from – the next highest goalscorers have three goals each.
Projected setups
Juventus: Di Gregorio, Savona, Kalulu, Gatti, Cambiaso, Locatelli, Thuram, Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Yildiz, Weah
Manchester City: Ortega, Walker, Dias, Akanji, Ake, Silva, Gundogan, Lewis, Foden, Nunes, Haaland
Prediction
Juventus’ defensive approach seems likely to cause problems for Manchester City, who are already struggling to score. Expect the two approaches to cancel each other out, but not without a few memorable moments first. Choose: Juventus1, Manchester City1