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Olympique de Marseille's players take part in a training session in Marseille, southern France, on July 6, 2015, ahead of the 2015/2016 French Ligue 1 football season.  AFP PHOTO / ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT        (Photo credit should read ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP/Getty Images)
Olympique de Marseille's players take part in a training session in Marseille, southern France, on July 6, 2015, ahead of the 2015/2016 French Ligue 1 football season. AFP PHOTO / ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT (Photo credit should read ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP/Getty Images)ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/Getty Images

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

Adam DigbyJul 31, 2015

Juventus make their third short trip of the summer to Marseille on Saturday, taking on the Provence-based club as they relaunch the Robert Louis-Dreyfus Trophy in honour of their former owner, who died in July 2009.

The pre-season contest has been absent from the calendar since the first edition in 2010 due to renovations at the Stade Velodrome ahead of Euro 2016. However, the game will provide a tough test for Massimiliano Allegri’s men given the disparity in how far along each team is in their preparations for the forthcoming campaign.

Given that the French league season gets underway just seven days after this meeting, Marcelo Bielsa’s men will be much closer to full fitness than Juventus, who will still be three weeks away from the start of Serie A.

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With the Bianconeri also set to face Lazio in the Italian Super Cup a week after facing Marseille, the players could be forgiven for having their eyes on the prospect of silverware in China rather than the south of France. 

ST GALLEN, SWITZERLAND - JULY 25:  Coach Massimiliano Allegri of Juventus looks on prior to during the friendly match between Juventus and Borussia Dortmund on July 25, 2015 in St Gallen, Switzerland.  (Photo by Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

Date: Saturday, August 8, 2015

Kick-Off: 8 p.m. BST, 3 p.m. EDT

Venue: Stade Velodrome, Marseille

TV Listings: beIN Sports 1 (France)

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

Form Guide

ES Sahel 1-5 Marseille (Friendly)Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Juventus (Friendly)
Fenerbahce 3-1 Marseille (Friendly)Lechia Gdansk 1-2 Juventus (Friendly)
Antalyaspor 2-5 Marseille (Friendly) 
Marseille 1-2 AS Livorno (Friendly) 
  

Predicted Formations

Marseille (4-3-3): Steve Mandanda; Brice Dja Djadje, Nicolas Nkoulou, Karim Rekik, Benjamin Mendy; Alaixys Romao, Mario Lemina, Bouna Sarr; Florian Thauvin, Romain Alessandrini, Michy Batshuayi

Juventus (3-5-2): Gigi Buffon; Daniele Rugani, Leonardo Bonucci, Martin Caceres; Stephan Lichtsteiner, Claudio Marchisio, Sami Khedira, Paul Pogba Patrice Evra; Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic

Player to Watch 

With Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo no longer around, 2015/16 could prove to be a pivotal season for Juve’s Paul Pogba. The club’s remaining midfielders—including the likes of Sami Khedira and Claudio Marchisio—are undoubtedly of high quality, but arguably lack the magic of the two men who have moved on.

French midfielder Paul Pogba looks on during a training session on June 12, 2015 in Tirana, on the eve of the friendly football match Albania vs France.    AFP PHOTO / LOIC VENANCE        (Photo credit should read LOIC VENANCE/AFP/Getty Images)

Pogba most certainly has that magic, and Allegri is likely to hand the 22-year-old much more on-field responsibility this season. The player has proved he is capable of delivering at the highest level, but he will now be called upon to do so on a more consistent basis and raise the quality of his performances once again.

There is no better place to start than in his native France, this pre-season match providing an early return home to the country that will host next summer’s European Championships. That is a tournament in which Pogba will hope to shine, and the Paris-born star would likely enjoy giving the Stade Velodrome crowd a taste of what he can do.

Key Battle

ST GALLEN, SWITZERLAND - JULY 25: Mario Mandzukic of Juventus reacts during the friendly match between Juventus and Borussia Dortmund on July 25, 2015 in St Gallen, Switzerland.  (Photo by Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

While Juventus will expect much from their new-look midfield, it is in attack where the biggest question marks hang over this team. With the loss of Carlos Tevez—who scored an incredible 50 goals in 96 games for the Bianconeri—Allegri will be fully aware of his side’s need to begin finding the back of the net as quickly as possible.

Mario Mandzukic will be vital in achieving that aim, with the Croatian striker looking to find a home in Italy following two quick transfers in succession. Leaving Bayern Munich for Atletico Madrid just 12 months before his move to Juventus, it is important things click for the 29-year-old in Turin.

Mandzukic has hit the 20-goal mark in each of the previous three seasons, and he will hope to do so again, making these friendly fixtures important to him. Nicolas Nkoulou will be looking to stop him on Saturday—the Cameroon international defender is becoming increasingly important figure for the Ligue 1 side.

Soto Homers Again vs. Nats 📈

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