Juventus kick-off their 2021/22 Champions League campaign looking to secure their first win of the season away at Swedish champions Malmo.
It’s been a woeful start for Massimiliano Allegri on his return to the club. The Bianconeri are winless from their opening three Serie A fixtures after falling to a 2-1 defeat to Napoli at the weekend.
Allegri, though, will be comforted by the fact that he’ll welcome back his South American contingent for Tuesday’s clash after they all missed the trip to Naples.
Juve made it to two Champions League finals during Allegri’s first spell at the club, but the Bianconeri remain without a European title since 1996. Victory is imperative in Sweden for not only their continental chances but a desperate pick-me-up is required following Juve’s slow domestic start.
Here’s our preview of Tuesday’s Group H clash.
How to Watch Malmo vs Juventus
When is it? Tuesday 14 September
What time is kick-off? 20:00 (BST)
Where is it played? Eleda Stadium
TV channel/live stream? BT Sport ESPN (UK), Paramount+ (US)
Malmo Team News
Malmo will be without long-term injury absentees Ola Toivonen and Jonas Knudsen, while Finnish veteran Niklas Moisander, midfielder Oscar Lewicki and summer signing Sergio Pena are doubts.
Goalkeeper Ismael Diawara has deputised for the injured Johan Dahlin in recent weeks and should continue between the sticks.
Juventus Team News
⚪⚫ 𝘽𝙄𝘼𝙉𝘾𝙊𝙉𝙀𝙍𝙄 𝙎𝙌𝙐𝘼𝘿: #JuveUCL nights incoming! 🌕 pic.twitter.com/I7rYxbqBhK
— JuventusFC 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@juventusfcen) September 13, 2021
Following their woeful availability for the defeat to Napoli, Juve have almost a fully fit squad for their first continental venture of the season.
While Kaio Jorge and Arthur Melo remain out, Aaron Ramsey returned to the squad on Saturday after a short spell on the sidelines.
Juve’s South American core will return to the fold after returning late from international duty. Thus, Danilo, Alex Sandro, Juan Cuadrado, Paulo Dybala and Rodrigo Bentancur are all in contention to start. Federico Chiesa, however, is unlikely to travel to Sweden after he trained separately at Continassa on Monday.
Alvaro Morata should retain his place up top, while Manuel Locatelli is a sure bet to start in midfield after impressing on his first Juventus start.
Predicted Lineups
Malmo: Diawara; Larsson, Ahmedhodzic, Brorsson, Olsson; Rakip, Innocent; Rieks, Christiansen, Birmancevic; Colak.
Juventus: Szczesny; Danilo, de Ligt, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado, Bentancur, Locatelli, McKennie; Dybala, Morata.
Malmo’s Recent Form
Malmo 1-1 Norrkoping (11/09) – Allsvenskan
Hammarby 2-1 Malmo (29/08) – Allsvenskan
Ludogorets 2-1 Malmo (24/08) – Champions League play-off second leg
Malmo 3-0 Degerfors (21/08) – Allsvenskan
Malmo 2-0 Ludogorets (18/08) – Champions League play-off first leg
Juventus’ Recent Form
Napoli 2-1 Juventus (11/09) – Serie A
Juventus 0-1 Empoli (28/08) – Serie A
Udinese 2-2 Juventus (22/08) – Serie A
Juventus 3-1 Atalanta (14/08) – Friendly
Barcelona 3-0 Juventus (08/08) – Joan Gamper Trophy
Prediction
Juventus would be naive to underestimate Malmo, especially considering the abhorrent form they’re in. The Bianconeri have been compromised by incompetent goalkeeping, inefficient final third play and shoddy availability to start the season.
However, while Chiesa is unlikely to travel, the return of the South Americans is a huge boost for Massimiliano Allegri, who’ll be eager to grab his first win since returning to Turin ahead of another huge domestic clash this weekend as AC Milan come to town. While the threat of the hosts shouldn’t be played down, especially of qualifying campaign hero Antonio Colak, this is a game Juve should be winning pretty comfortably.
But, I suspect the visitors might make this one a little harder for themselves, so a slender victory might be in order.
Prediction: Malmo 1-2 Juventus