Juventus: 5 key players to watch against Porto in the first leg
Juventus will face off against FC Porto on Wednesday night at the Estadio do Dragao for the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16. They must get the round started off on the right foot without two key players in midfielder Arthur and right back Juan Cuadrado.
Here are five key players on both teams who will be important in telling the story of this first leg tie in Portugal.
Juventus CM/LM/RM Weston McKennie
Juventus could conceivably play the Schalke loanee in any of these three positions on Wednesday night. Weston McKennie is one of Europe’s most versatile midfield players, and we have seen Andrea Pirlo move him around the formation a little bit. I always like him best in a central attacking role where he can either flood the box and score or play as an anti-10 with how he presses and defends.
McKennie is an X-Factor against FC Porto. No matter where he starts, he could have a decisive action in this first leg fixture.
Porto DM Sergio Oliveira
FC Porto have a great midfield duo in Sergio Oliveira and Mateus Uribe. Both men are experienced and productive defensively, with WhoScored.com tabbing them with more than two tackles per game each.
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But Oliveira is Porto’s main impact star, because he offers a ton of goal contributions with his defending. Oliveira has nine goals and four assists for Porto in Liga NOS this season, as well as a team-high three goals in the Champions League. He could very well spearhead an upset bid for Porto in the Round of 16.
Juventus CB Matthijs de Ligt
Juventus have a few options at center back in this one, and there is a real debate if Leonardo Bonucci or Giorgio Chiellini should start. But for sure, Matthijs de Ligt should be one of the two starting center backs for Andrea Pirlo at the Estadio do Dragao.
De Ligt will be going up against a Porto side that is not to be underestimated and has talented attackers, including one player who will be spotlighted below. For his part, de Ligt is one of the world’s best center backs. You’d always favor him to come out on top in this kind of a matchup, but the key for the Bianconeri is having the Dutch defender dominate.
Porto FW Mehdi Taremi
Moussa Marega is a quality forward up top for Porto, but Mehdi Taremi is the star of the show from an attacking perspective, along with noted wide men Luis Diaz and Corona.
Taremi has yet to start in the Champions League this season, as he’s only obtained 27 minutes across three appearances off the bench. But the Iranian striker is poised to start against Juventus this week, and he’d love nothing more than to add to his tally of nine goals and three assists in all competitions in 2020-2021.
Juventus LM/RM Federico Chiesa
Like Weston McKennie, Federico Chiesa is a young Juventus player who can decide the match for the Bianconeri. He could move back to the right-hand side, where he is more comfortable, but it may be more likely for him to start on the left and cut inside onto his favored right foot in a position behind Cristiano Ronaldo.
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Chiesa has been an immediate difference-maker for Juventus this season, and his defensive work could be vital against either Corona or Diaz. Juventini remember fondly how Chiesa shut down Theo Hernandez at the San Siro against Milan, so he could do the same for Juve in the Champions League at Porto.