Juventus: 5 key players to watch against Ferencvaros

Juventus will face Ferencvaros on Wednesday night in their third Champions League group stage fixture, fully expecting the full three points.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s return from COVID-19 has lifted Juventus. The Bianconeri finally won a game in Serie on Sunday, scoring three goals after Ronaldo’s entrance off the bench. He scored two goals, with Adrien Rabiot adding the fourth to put an exclamation point on the match.

Juve are still in a good position in the group despite losing to Barcelona last week. The Bianconeri took care of business in their first match against Dynamo Kyiv, winning 2-0 without CR7. And now, they have a chance to pick up another easy three points against the worst team in the group, Ferencvaros.

Let’s take a look at five key players to watch on Juventus in this third Champions League group stage match.

LWB Federico Chiesa

We can expect Andrea Pirlo to roll with a 3-5-2 again, as Juventus seem to be at their best when lining up in this formation. But if Pirlo decides to go with a back four, Federico Chiesa would still be a good option on the left side as a chance-creator.

The right-footed wide man has made a home for himself on the left side of Juve’s formation with his endless running and teasing crosses. Chiesa has already been a strong addition to the Bianconeri on loan from Fiorentina, and once he’s purchased permanently, the young winger will be a fixture in Turin for years to come.

He is a strong candidate to have an assist or two against Ferencvaros.

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CB Danilo

We’re still probably a couple of games away from seeing Matthijs de Ligt fully fit and in the lineup, as Juve can afford to ease him back since it is still early in the season. Although the defense hasn’t been at its best without de Ligt, mostly thanks to Leonardo Bonucci’s mental mistakes, Danilo has been the big positive surprise of the entire team this season.

Danilo has been Juve’s best defender in so many games this season, including in less-than-impressive defensive showings at Spezia and vs. Barcelona in the past week. Even when some of the players around him struggle, Danilo still makes a difference.

In a back four, he stays back on the left side, allowing Juve to play an unbalanced formation and get Chiesa or Dejan Kulusevski up even further on the left.

CM Rodrigo Bentancur

Rodrigo Bentancur has provided more hard work in the midfield for the Bianconeri, but he hasn’t necessarily been at his best this season. Juventus need to get more out of Bentancur in terms of the directness of his passing and his offensive contributions.

The Ferencvaros match is a big opportunity for one of the Bianconeri’s most valuable young players to reestablish his value and show advancement in his game offensively. He will be facing the easiest opponent of his 2020-2021 season and must impress accordingly.

FW Paulo Dybala

These last two games against Barcelona and Spezia have shown that Paulo Dybala still needs some time to get back to full strength after returning from injury. Dybala was the worst player on the pitch for Juventus in both of those games, and that was seriously disappointing to see.

He could get some rest against Ferencvaros, but I have a feeling he’ll be back out there just so Andrea Pirlo can get his confidence up against an easier opponent. Whether he starts or plays off the bench, all eyes will be on Dybala once again.

CM Adrien Rabiot

Alongside Arthur Melo, Adrien Rabiot is the best midfielder on Juventus. Rabiot does everything for the Bianconeri defensively and offensively. Per WhoScored.com, the French international has 1.2 dribbles per game in Serie A with a whopping 2.2 interceptions per game.

Rabiot’s movement and reading of the game have been a huge boost to Juve’s midfield and allow the likes of Aaron Ramsey to contribute more to the attack. Because of the work Rabiot is putting in defensively, he’s almost undroppable for Juve, and hopefully Pirlo starts leaning on him and Arthur more in midfield.

Ferencvaros could have a rough night against Rabiot, who will look to score a second straight goal after finding the back of the net over the weekend at Spezia.