Chelsea, the European Champions, will be taking on Italian powerhouse Juventus for the second time this season. This time the Blues will be playing in their own backyard. The last time the two sides faced back in September, the Old Lady proved to be the superior team and they won 1-0. While Chelsea put on the majority of the pressure, it was not well utilized by the forwards and the experienced duo of Matthijs de Ligt and Leonardo Bonucci had no problems in keeping the Blues quiet throughout the game. The Italians did not have a lot of chances either, however, the difference was that they took their chances and kept the slender lead throughout the second half.
This time, however, the tides have changed. Chelsea is looking like the team to beat, both in domestic tournaments and in the European ones. Last time around, the Italian giants were struggling in the league, but the Blues were also struggling to score goals. Now, the London side has evolved a lot, whereas Juventus is continuing to struggle.
Keeping that in mind, here are three things to look forward to in the upcoming Champions League blockbuster:
1. A coordinated attack versus an organized defence
One of the things that will be different in the upcoming match than in the previous installment of this Group H clash will be the way the Blues approach the game. During the last contest, the London side bossed possession and controlled the midfield. It was extremely articulate, but the build-up to the attack was not very coordinated and it seemed very haphazard and disjointed. Sure, Chelsea had over 700 passes and sure, it had 16 shots on goal. However, none of the chances were clear-cut and Juventus only needed one shot on target to go in front.
Chelsea has since learnt to play more freely and push effectively in order to break down stubborn opponents. The Blues also have the advantage of talented players, all of whom can put the ball into the back of the net. The league leaders have already registered 15 different scorers in the Premier League and they will be hoping that some of their unorthodox scorers, such as Reece James, Ben Chilwell and even Antonio Rudiger, can step up in the match against Juventus.
Max Allegri’s men can be expected to play their signature defensive style of football where they will tire out the opposition and hit them on quick counterattacks. While the side still has a long way to go, its recent wins against Fiorentina and Lazio show us that the Old Lady can still be extremely dangerous. For Chelsea to break through Juventus’ fantastic defence, every member of the team will have to be on the same wavelength. Both Bonnuci and de Ligt are fantastic defenders who will try their best to not let the ball go into the back of the net.