Barcelona vs Juventus predictions and match preview for Tuesday’s game in the UEFA Champions League. Read on for the head-to-head, team news and predicted lineups as these two European giants face off for top spot in the group.
- DATE: Tuesday 8th December 2020
- KICK-OFF: 21:00 (local time)
- VENUE: Camp Nou
- COMPETITION: UEFA Champions League (Group Stage)
Barcelona vs Juventus Preview
Group G in the UEFA Champions League concludes on Tuesday. Predictably it has been dominated by Barcelona and Juventus with the only dropped points from either side coming in the reverse fixture. The outcome here will determine who wins the group.
Barcelona are firmly in pole position to do that and potentially secure an easier last 16 draw. They won 2-0 in Turin against Juventus on matchday 2. As a result, the Catalans will win the group even if they lose this match by a single goal. A 2-0 defeat would also be enough for Barcelona but any other two goal defeat or a loss by a greater margin would see Juventus snatch top spot.
Ronald Koeman has opted to rest key men such as Leo Messi the last two group games and it’ll be interesting to see what his approach is here. It seems likely we will see a slightly stronger XI than the one that won 4-0 in Kiev and 3-0 in Budapest. Worryingly though for the Dutchman, his team often seems to perform at its worst when all the big names are on the pitch with a 2-1 weekend defeat at Cadiz the latest major setback.
Juventus are another major European club that feels like it’s in decline on the standards it has set in recent years. Having dominated Serie A for so long, they are only 4th in the Italian top flight currently and were well beaten by Barca when the sides met earlier in the group.
They should be able to field a stronger XI this time around and significantly Cristiano Ronaldo is available. Unless either coach decides resting players is more important than trying to win this group, it could potentially even be the last time we get to see Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo on the same football pitch, and for that reason alone it’s worth tuning in for.
Head to Head
- Barcelona won 2-0 in Turin on matchday 2 in this group.
- The previous meetings came in the 2017/18 group stage.
- The meeting in Turin that season ended 0-0 while Barcelona won 3-0 at Camp Nou.
- Barcelona have won 2 of the 5 meetings since they won the 2015 Champions League Final against Juventus.
Team News
Ousmane Dembele picked up a knock at the weekend and is likely to be missing. Otherwise Ronald Koeman is expected to name a stronger side than he has on the previous two matchdays.
Juventus may consider resting Juan Cuadrado and Rodrigo Bentancur, who are both a booking away from a ban. Alvaro Morata should start having missed the Turin derby at the weekend.
Predicted Barcelona Starting Lineup:
Ter Stegen – Alba, Lenglet, Araujo, Dest – De Jong, Busquets – Pedri, Griezmann, Messi – Braithwaite (4-2-3-1)
Predicted Juventus Starting Lineup:
Szczesny – Sandro, Bonucci, De Ligt, Danilo – Chiesa, Rabiot, Arthur, Kulusevski – Morata, Ronaldo (4-4-2)
Barcelona vs Juventus Predictions
Score Prediction: Barcelona 2-2 Juventus
This could be a lot more competitive than the first match between these sides with Juventus bolstered by the return of a number of players. Barcelona’s much changed and largely inexperienced defence has coped relatively well up to now since the injury to Gerard Pique but they will have their hands full here and there’s no doubting that Cristiano Ronaldo will be up for this and hungry to score at Camp Nou again. We are likely to see a few goals in this but it’s hard to see a scenario where Barcelona don’t end up winning the group.
UEFA Champions League Betting Tips (18+)
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Read our latest Champions League & Europa League match previews.
