Juventus vs Freiburg: UEFA Europa League Preview, Round of 16, 2023

SC Freiburg will be looking to cause a major upset this evening as they head to the Allianz Stadium to take on Italian giants Juventus in the first-leg of their Round-of-16 tie.

Massimiliano Allegri's side dropped into the Europa League for the first time in eight years and overcame French side Nantes in their play-off round to get to this stage, and come up against a side who are continually on the rise in Germany under Christian Streich.

The Bianconeri will be considered favourites due to their squad filled with talent, including the likes of Paul Pogba, Angel Di Maria and Dusan Vlahovic - but with their points deduction from breaking spending rules that led to their whole board resigning almost threatening to derail their season.

Meanwhile the Breisgau-Brasilianer are defying expectations as they push for a Champions League spot in the Bundesliga and are continuing on their fairytale journey in Europe.

TEAM NEWS

Juventus

Allegri will be without the trio of Mattia De Sciglio, Kaio Jorge and Arkadiusz Milik, with all three not expected to return until the middle of March, whilst former Everton striker Moise Kean will be available despite getting sent off in their 1-0 defeat to Jose Mourinho's Roma - just 40 seconds after coming off the bench as a substitute.

Apart from that, The Old Lady have a decent squad of players available and ready at their disposal, with Di Maria being considered the dangerman for the Italian side after his hat-trick against Nantes in the second-leg of the play-off round.

Pogba is slowly gaining more minutes as he returns to action following on from his hamstring injury which has caused him to miss most of the season for the Turin club, having rejoined them on a free transfer having left Manchester United in the summer.

SC Freiburg

The German side will definitely be without Ghanaian international Daniel-Kofi Kyereh, as the midfielder continues his recovery from an anterior cruciate-ligament injury, whilst South Korean midfielder Woo-Yeong Jeong is recovering from an illness.

This two-legged tie is the perfect stage for Italian international Vincenzo Grifo to make his mark, with the 29-year-old winger having never played in Italy in his entire career, making a name for himself in the German top-flight with Freiburg and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.

Former Borussia Dortmund centre-back Matthias Ginter is a well-recognized German international, whilst Mark Flekken is considered one of the best keepers in the Bundesliga, despite having only 4 caps for the Netherlands.

Likely Line-Ups

Juventus:

Szczesny, Danilo, Bremer, Bonucci, Cuadrado, Paredes, Faglioli, Rabiot, Kostic, Vlahovic, Di Maria

SC Freiburg:

Flekken, Sildillia, Ginter, Lienhart, Gunter, Doan, Eggestein, Hofler, Grifo, Petersen, Gregoritsch

Key Players

Juventus - Angel Di Maria

The Argentine has been the Bianconeri's stand-out player this season and is our pick as their key player this fixture.

The 35-year-old has had a decorated career and was the main man in Juve's play-off against Nantes, bagging a hat-trick to send them through to the Round-of-16.

Known for his wand of a left-foot, the World Cup winner will be once again in the spotlight for his side, with his experience and knowledge of big knock-out ties will be absolutely crucial during this two-legged tie, and will want to add another title to his collection, having played in Spain, France, England and Portugal with different clubs.

SC Freiburg - Vincenzo Grifo

The Italian international who was born in Germany, the 29-year-old has been the go-to man for Christian Streich's men throughout the season.

He has scored 12 times in the Bundesliga and recorded 4 assists this season, with many of his Italian international team-mates such as Locatelli, Chiesa and Bonucci will be well-aware of the threat that he possesses.

The winger loves to cut-inside on his right-foot, and offers Freiburg an outball with his dribbling ability and quick-feet.

The player who will most likely cause problems for Juve during this tie.