Lechia Gdansk vs. Juventus: Team News, Preview, Live Stream and TV Info

Many owners use pre-season as a money-making venture, heading to far-flung locations in search of the most lucrative fixtures in order to capitalise. Occasionally, however, it delivers a wonderfully nostalgic tie as clubs look back into their past and deliver a game against an opponent who embodies something special in their history.

That almost certainly applies to this summer’s second friendly fixture for Juventus, traveling to Poland on Wednesday to take on Lechia Gdansk at the PGE Arena. The Polish side are celebrating the club’s 70th anniversary this year, and have looked to recall a special chapter in their past by taking on the Bianconeri.

Back in 1983, Gdansk enjoyed what was undoubtedly the finest campaign in their existence, winning the Polish Cup and Super Cup, the only trophies they have ever won. Despite being in the nation’s second division at the time, they entered the European Cup Winner’s Cup, facing the Turin giants in the first round.

Led by Giovanni Trapattoni, a team boasting names such as Michel Platini and Paolo Rossi overwhelmed the visitors, running out 7-0 winners in the first leg before a late strike from Polish icon Zibi Boniek gave the Old Lady a narrow 3-2 victory in the return fixture.

Anonymous/Associated Press/Associated Press

Juventus would go on to lift the trophy by beating Porto in the final—with Boniek again netting the winning goal—and fans of both clubs will enjoy the trip down memory lane this friendly will provide. For more on what to expect from Gdansk, I spoke with Polish football expert Ryan Hubbard who told me:

"There are a number of fringe Polish internationals in the Lechia squad, including full-backs Grzegorz Wojtkowiak and Jakub Wawrzyniak, centre-back Rafal Janicki and defensive midfielder Ariel Borysiuk. The biggest name, though, is Lechia captain Sebastian Mila, who has scored a couple of important goals for the national team, including in recent victories against Germany and Georgia.

"Coach [Jerzy] Brzeczek is also an ex-international captain, having led the Poles during the 90s. He is also the uncle of Borussia Dortmund star Jakub Blaszczykowski. Like many Polish sides, especially against stronger opponents, Lechia will likely look most dangerous on the counter-attack.

Adam Nurkiewicz/Getty Images

"Full-backs Wojtkowiak and Wawrzyniak like to push forward where possible, and the pace of Nazario and Mak on the wings is a potential threat. Striker [Grzegorz] Kuswik—a recent signing from Ruch Chorzow—can be a danger around the box, while captain Mila is one to watch from set pieces."

The 2015–16 Ekstraklasa is already underway, with Gdansk losing both their opening fixtures, while the Italian champions lost their first friendly of the summer on Saturday in a 2-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund, as discussed in this previous column.

Date: Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Kick-Off: 6 p.m. BST, 1 p.m. EDT

Venue: The PGE Arena, Gdansk, Poland

TV Listings: beIN Sports 1 (France)

Live Stream: Fox Soccer 2Go (U.S.)

Form Guide

Lechia Gdansk 1-1 Hannover 96 (Friendly)	Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Juventus
Lechia Gdansk 1-1 Wolfsburg (Friendly)
Lechia Gdansk 0-1 Cracovia Krakow
Lechia Gdansk 0-1 Schalke 04 (Friendly)
Lech Poznan 2-1 Lechia Gdansk

Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images

Predicted Formations

Lechia Gdansk(4-2-3-1): Marko Maric; Grzegorz Wojtkowiak, Rafal Janicki, Mario Maloca, Jakub Wawrzyniak; Ariel Borysiuk, Daniel Lukasik; Michal Mak, Sebastian Mila, Bruno Nazario; Grzegorz Kuswik

Juventus (4-3-3): Gigi Buffon; Stephan Lichtsteiner, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Patrice Evra; Simone Padoin, Claudio Marchisio, Paul Pogba; Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic, Alvaro Morata

Player to Watch 

Having made his debut for Juventus against Borussia Dortmund at the weekend, Paulo Dybala will head to Poland looking to net his first goal for the Bianconeri. Arriving from Palermo, the striker cost the club €32 million, with a potential €8 million in further bonuses, according to their official website.

Dybala struggled during his first two years with the Sicilian side, but he exploded last term with 13 goals and 10 assists following their promotion to the top flight. He will certainly be looking to make an impression much sooner in Turin, where he is the clear replacement in the squad for Carlos Tevez.

Like his compatriot, the new signing possesses a keen eye for goal, but he is also capable of delivering some magic, with statistics from Squawka.com showing he created no fewer than 61 clear scoring opportunities for his team-mates in 2014/15.

With both Andrea Pirlo and Tevez having moved on, Juventus will need that inventive streak to shine in the forthcoming campaign, and the well-taken free-kick above bodes well on that front.

Yet they will also hope Dybala can begin to find the goal himself on a regular basis, and there is no better time to start than Wednesday evening, when he is unlikely to be the only man in black-and-white stripes hoping to get off the mark.