Juventus face mounting pressure ahead of a crucial Champions League clash against a struggling Manchester City
Manchester City may be experiencing an unprecedented crisis under the legendary coach Pep Guardiola, yet on Wednesday, the struggling English champions will face a Juventus side grappling with its own difficulties.
Juventus faced discontent from their supporters on Saturday night, as they managed to salvage a 2-2 draw against mid-table Bologna after trailing by two goals.
Fans had anticipated a turnaround following the appointment of coach Thiago Motta, who took over from Massimiliano Allegri during the summer, but the team’s disappointing streak of four consecutive draws has left them lagging both domestically and in European competitions.
Had Juventus been in better form, Wednesday would have presented an ideal chance to surpass City in the Champions League standings, where they currently occupy 19th place, trailing their Premier League rivals on goal difference.
"I do not believe there is an ideal moment to face Manchester City, but we will approach the match as we always do, aiming to disrupt their style of play and impose our own," Motta stated on Saturday.
Juventus has drawn 11 of their 20 matches across all competitions this season and finds themselves seven points behind the new Serie A leaders, Atalanta, after 15 matches—far from the promising start the club had envisioned.
With only two victories from nine matches in all competitions, including a deserved home defeat to Stuttgart in October, concerns are mounting, prompting John Elkann, a prominent figure in the Agnelli family, to visit the club's Continassa training facility on Monday.
Elkann serves as the CEO of Exor, the holding company of the Agnelli family, who have long been associated with Juventus and are regarded as Italy's closest equivalent to a royal family since the establishment of the republic in 1946.
"I leave it to you to evaluate my performance," Motta remarked to the media. "My focus remains on working with the players to enhance our capabilities and confront our opponents with the appropriate mindset."
Motta's efforts have been hindered by a significant injury crisis that has plagued his squad during the first half of the season, and it appeared on Saturday that full-back Andrea Cambiaso had also succumbed to injury.
Motta Cambiaso's ankle injury, which resulted in his early substitution during the match against Bologna, is fortunately less severe than initially anticipated. The Italian player may be available for selection on Wednesday night. Additionally, Douglas Luiz is expected to return to the midfield after being sidelined for two months.
Weston McKennie is also poised to rejoin the Juventus squad after missing the last three matches. However, Motta will still be without at least four players, including defenders Gleison Bremer and Juan Cabal, who are both ruled out for the remainder of the season.
On a positive note, Motta has a recognized center-forward in Dusan Vlahovic, who made his return to club action against Bologna and assisted Samuel Mbangula's equalizer in stoppage time.
Meanwhile, Vlahovic's backup, Arkadiusz Milik, has been out due to a meniscus injury in his left knee since June. The Polish player underwent a second surgery in November to address this issue.
SportsLigue