With a two goal lead going into half time at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on Sunday afternoon, La Vecchia Signora looked like she was set to send an explicit statement of intent to Madrid; but just as she rose to point her finger to Spain's capital in a "siete prossimo" manner, her troops complacently retreated. Four Fiorentina goals soon followed, and the Old Lady of Turin's battle cry directed towards the Bernabeu diminished into little more than a whimper.
Defensively twisted and torn by the brilliance of Giuseppe Rossi at the weekend, Juventus must now get ready to face the daunting task of attempting to contain the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria and Karim Benzema on Wednesday night.
It's not all doom and gloom however as, in spite of the recent set back in Florence, Juventus have on paper, enjoyed a strong start to the Serie A, winning six of their first eight games, including an impressive 4-1 victory over Lazio at the Juventus Stadium. On this positive note, I feel obliged to add that going into the crunch Champions League tie with Real Madrid, the Italian champions also have recent history on their side. The last time the two European giants met, Alessandro Del Piero was the hero for the Biannconeri, scoring two wonder goals at the Bernabeu:
Team News:
Sadly for the Juventini, unlike that famous night in 2008, La Vecchia Signora cannot call upon her favourite son, Del Piero, for this fixture along with a host of other big names. First choice right wingback, Stephan Lichsteiner and forward, Mirko Vucinic have not been named in Juve's 22 man squad; Simone Padoin and Fernando Llorente could be set to deputise:
Squad - Buffon, Chiellini, Caceres, Ogbonna , Pogba, Marchisio, Tevez, De Ceglie, Giovinco, Peluso, Llorente, Barzagli, Bonucci, Padoin, Pirlo, Asamoah, Vidal, Storari, Isla, Rubinho.
Three Key Players:
Andrea Pirlo
If Juventus are to have a protagonist in another famous Bernabeu victory, Calcio's very own Alghis will be a prime candidate for this starring role. Andrea Pirlo can play a pivotal part in Wednesday night's game in three key ways:
1) Creativity - Pirlo is undoubtedly the biggest creative influence on this Juventus side, both in open play and from set pieces. The regista will be asked to dictate the tempo of the play from his holding midfield position, and orchestrate any forward movement La Vecchia Signora even considers making. Although 34 years old, the Italian international still has the ability to unlock Europe's strongest defences.
2) The Sacrifice Needed To Stop Him - The nullification of the threat of a player like Andrea Pirlo comes with an attacking sacrifice. Due to how deep the regista will drop in order to dictate play, Benzema could be forced to attempt to man mark the Italian. Although this could indeed lead to the nullification of Pirlo's influence, it could lead to the French forward ultimately becoming a less potent force in the final third.
3) A Calming Influence - Although Juventus are used to controlling games in the Peninsula, at times on Wednesday night they will likely be forced to barricade their penalty area. While many players will simply rifle the ball in any direction to relieve pressure for a minuscule minute, with someone like Pirlo in the ranks, Juventus will have someone who will be willing to calmly pass the ball out and adequately maintain posession at times of great defensive pressure.
Leonardo Bonucci
Juventus' libero has had a difficult few weeks, making costly errors in the Galatasaray and Fiorentina games, but will be looking to bounce back on Wednesday with a strong showing on his first trip to the Bernabeu. Leonardo Bonucci has been a regular in a Juventus defence which has conceding goals at a harrowing rate this season, but past performances in the centre of the Juventus defensive three have proven the Italian to be a more than capable partner to Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini. The 26 year old will be asked to keep a watchful eye upon the movements of Karim Benzema, while also covering his centre back partners when the wide players (Christiano Ronaldo and Angel Di Maria) attempt to dart quickly infield. Like Andrea Pirlo, Bonucci is also known for his wide range of passing, something which Juventus will revert to utilising when Pirlo is unavailable.
Carlos Tevez
Since his £10 million move from Manchester City to Juventus during the summer mercato, Carlos Tevez has become an integral member of Antonio Conte's starting XI. The Argentine has scored 4 goals in his 9 appearances for the club, and has already been awarded for his performances in the Zebrette stripes with the club's player of the month award for September. Tevez will be vital at the Bernabeu for Juventus due to his workrate, and the intensity in which he seeks the ball with. The Argentine is set to press high up the field alongside Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio, in order to not allow the Real Madrid defence and the deep lying creative entity, Asier Illarramendi, time and space to move the ball slowly into La Vecchia Signora's half.
The Tactics
Juventus are set to utilise their usual 3-5-2 formation, with Barzagli, Bonucci and Chiellini taking up their roles in the three man defence. Without the injured Stephan Lichsteiner, Conte could be set to use Simone Padoin as a right wing back, while Kwadwo Asamoah will retain his position on the left hand flank, in spite of his poor performance at the weekend. Due to the injury to Lichsteiner, La Vecchia Signora will not have one of their key offensive weapons on the right hand side, as the deputising Padoin will be tasked with tracking the movements of Christiano Ronaldo, and will therefore be unwilling to frequently push forward. In the centre of midfield, Andrea Pirlo will drop deep and dictate play, while Claudio Marchisio (or Paul Pogba) and Arturo Vidal are set to be the engine room for La Vecchia Signora. Along with the MVP midfield, Carlos Tevez can drop back into the midfield in order to help with Juve's famed pressing game. It is a toss up between Sebastian Giovinco and Fernando Llorente for the final spot on the team sheet, but Llorente could get the nod due to the need for a physical presence up front.
Importance Of Getting A Result
For Juventus, the game at the Bernabeu is the most important of the season so far. After drawing both their opening two fixtures in group B, La Vecchia may not be able to budget for anything less than three points when they make the tip to Madrid. Due to the heavy defeat at the hands of Fiorentina at the weekend also, a certain amount of appeasement is needed for both fans and journalists alike, a victory over Real Madrid will more than achieve this; it will show that Juventus are a force be reckoned with in the UEFA Champions League this season, and prove to everyone that the Italian champions have all the credentials of a European Cup winning side.
The preview from the Madrid perspective by Sean DiSesa can be found here.