UEFA Champions League Group A Preview: Atletico Madrid vs. Juventus
The best match of Wednesday's slate of Champions League games will pit Italy champions Juventus against Spanish champions Atletico Madrid. The matchup at the Estadio Vicente Calderon could be critical in deciding who wins Group A.
The Bianconeri made it harder on themselves than was needed but beat Malmo 2-0 in the group opener last month. It was the first time they'd won their first game since returning to the competition two years ago. Should they beat the Rojiblancos—who lost to Olympiakos 3-2 in their opener—they'd come home heavy favorites to win the group.
For Diego Simeone's men, a loss would not only spot Juve the group lead but make it a struggle to even advance out of the group. Avoiding defeat at home is going to be absolutely crucial. Will they be able to?
Let's take a closer look and see what awaits in one of the best matches of Matchday 2.
Tale of the Tape
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| Atletico Madrid | Juventus | |
| 1903 | Founded | 1897 |
| Los Colchoneros | Nickname | I Bianconeri |
| Diego Simeone | Coach | Massimiliano Allegri |
| Gabi | Captain | Gianluigi Buffon |
| 3 (4-2-0, 14 points) | League Position | 1 (5-0-0, 15 points) |
| 3 (0-0-1, 0 pts, -1 GD) | Group Position | 1 (1-0-0, 3 pts, +2 GD) |
| 10 (defending champions) | Domestic Titles | 30* (defending champions) |
European Cup/UCL: 0 (twice runners-up) Europa League: 2 (last 2011-12) | European Titles | European Cup/UCL: 2 (last 1995-96) UEFA Cup/Europa: 3 (last 1992-93) |
N/A | Head-to-Head Wins | N/A |
WL**DWW | Last 5 Matches | WW**WWW |
*Official titles recognized by FIGC. Juve still claim two titles stripped due to Calciopoli match-fixing scandal.
** Champions League game.
Atletico Madrid Overview
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Atletico came into their first group-stage match on the back of a 2-1 win against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu. Unfortunately, their trip to Piraeus brought them crashing back to earth with a thud.
Without Diego Simeone on the sidelines and possibly emotionally spent, the Spanish champions fell behind 2-0 after a half-hour. They clawed one back, but their attempt at a comeback was dashed by Konstantinos Mitroglou with 18 minutes left. Antoine Griezmann was able to make the scoreline a bit more respectable late on, but it didn't diminish the shock value of the result.
With a team like Juventus in the group, the early loss has put them in a perilous position. It may be too early to call this game a must-win, but depending on the result of the Olympiakos/Malmo fixture it might be a can't-lose.
If they drop a second consecutive game, they may have to give up on winning the group. If one of the other two teams is able to pull a surprise on Juventus, Atletico may end up in serious danger of missing out entirely on the knockout rounds.
It's vital for them to get into their back-to-back fixtures with Malmo—arguably the worst team in the group—with at least a point.
Juventus Overview
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Juventus have played six matches in all competitions this year. They have yet to allow a goal.
In fact, they haven't allowed a goal in a competitive match since an early opener by Simone Zaza in their late-season matchup against Sassuolo on April 28.
That's right. They haven't allowed a competitive goal since April.
Defense has been one of the hallmarks of this side since Antonio Conte took charge of the team in 2011. In the three years he was manager, the Bianconeri only conceded 67 goals.
On the other end of the field, they are finally firing. Carlos Tevez has scored six times in his last four games and has a brace in two of the last three. Arturo Vidal got his shooting boots on last week against Cesena, and summer signing Alvaro Morata opened his account with his new club on Saturday.
Juve fans should not get ahead of themselves: The best opposition they've faced so far have arguably been AC Milan, who are in the midst of a large-scale rebuild. At this stage the only ones on the peninsula that can truly compete with Juventus are Roma—and Juve play them on Sunday.
This game will thus serve as a major test for the Bianconeri. Atleti represent the best opposition the team are likely to face until a potential matchup in the knockout phases. If Juve play well in Madrid, even Roma may feel chills run up their spines.
Key Players: Atletico Madrid
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Koke
The 22-year-old academy product is on the cusp of becoming one of the most sought-after players in the game.
Koke has been Atletico's best player this season. According to WhoScored.com, he has one goal and six assists over six games in all competitions. He's recorded an assist in each of his last six games—a streak that goes back to Atleti's September 13 win at Real Madrid.
If the last three years has told the world anything about Juventus, it's that winning the battle against their world-class midfield is essential to beating them. Koke, who is fast becoming an Arturo Vidal clone, will be an essential part of that battle for the Spanish side. He will be tasked with trying to disrupt Juve's mids and will be marked as a target in return. He could turn this match one way or the other.
Diego Godin
Juve players make up the core of the Italian national team. The internationals on the team won't have forgotten Godin's winning goal in the controversial group-stage finale between Italy and Uruguay.
Godin isn't a volume tackler in the defensive third, but his positioning is superb and he has averaged 2.7 interceptions, per WhoScored, and is a force in the air.
That aerial ability will be a key for Atletico, who are likely to face target man Fernando Llorente. The Spaniard has been seeing most of his passes on the ground this season, but the Lion King is as good as any striker in the world in the air and will be a serious threat.
Godin will be tasked with making sure Llorente can't score with his head and with making himself a threat in Juve's penalty area on set pieces.
Mario Mandzukic
If the Croatian international is fit, he'll play against the Italians. Given the unenviable responsibility of replacing Diego Costa, Mandzukic has played well but isn't scoring in bunches. In fact, neither are any of the team's forwards. The only Atletico player who has scored more than once in the league is Miranda—a center-back.
The good news for Atleti is that Mandzukic has a ton of experience against the 3-5-2 that Juve is expected to deploy. He scored against it at Euro 2012 when Cesare Prandelli employed it in the group stage, and again in 2013 when he led Bayern Munich to a 4-0 aggregate victory over Juve in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
The only player on this team to have won Europe's ultimate prize, Mandzukic will be an important element of the attack if he plays.
Key Players: Juventus
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Carlos Tevez
Carlos Tevez is a man on fire. Seriously, look at that fire.
The Argentinian's brace against Malmo—his first Champions League goals in five years—seems to have lifted a massive weight on his shoulders. Now he's just scoring for fun.
The go-to striker Juve has needed for many a year, Tevez has also played a significant part in buildup play. Allegri has allowed him to roam the width of the attacking third, fielding the ball where he can and pulling defenders towards him. Once they attack him, he can either shake them and shoot or pass to an open man.
He has only one assist this year, but according to WhoScored he's averaged 3.5 key passes per match in the league and had four in the match against Malmo.
Tevez is the one man Atletico must stop. They have to clamp down on him and dare the rest of the team to beat them.
Claudio Marchisio
Il Principino has been tasked with holding down the "regista" role in front of defense while Andrea Pirlo has been sidelined with an injury.
He doesn't have the pinpoint passing ability and exquisite vision that has made Pirlo one of the best midfielders in the history of the game, but he does bring a pace that Pirlo doesn't have.
Marchisio is also a much better defender than his legendary teammate. He'll likely have to deal with Koke and former teammate Tiago in the midfield. It wouldn't be surprising to see him booked.
Marchisio brings a box-to-box mentality to a deep-lying role. His good passing, thunderous outside shot and defensive skills have been vital in holding the midfield together while Pirlo recuperates—and likely will until his return.
Giorgio Chiellini
Giorgio Chiellini is a mix of Claudio Gentile-style steel with excellent defensive technique.
One of the top five center-backs in the game today, Chiellini will be tasked with keeping Mandzukic—who beat him for a goal at Euro 2012—and the rest of Atleti's stuttering forward line at bay. Along with Gianluigi Buffon, he is the anchor of one of Europe's best defensive units. His performance will go a long way toward keeping Juve in this road game long enough to pounce.
Manager: Atletico Madrid
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Diego Simeone is one of coaching's hottest names. A former Serie A player, the Argentine is incredibly intense on the touchline and a master schemer on the training ground.
That intensity has often drawn comparisons to former Juve and current Italian national team coach Antonio Conte. The comparison is accurate to a degree, but Conte was, except on rare occasions, able to reign that intensity in before it got him into trouble with officials. That hasn't been the case for Simeone, who has been sent from the touchline twice since May—often in unnecessary circumstances.
Simeone was suspended for his team's first Champions League match after melting down in the dying phases of the final. He also received an eight-game domestic ban in August for becoming completely unhinged 25 minutes into the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup.
Expect Simeone to change from the 4-4-2 that his understudies employed against Olympiakos. The knock on Juve's 3-5-2 formation is its weakness against good wing play. He can use Antoine Griezmann, one of the best young wingers in the game, to try to take advantage of that weakness and tear the protective bubble away from Gigi Buffon.
If Simeone can walk the tightrope of his intensity, his team can fly. If he can't, he could end up doing some significant damage to his team.
Manager: Juventus
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Max Allegri has had a fantastic start to the season, but his opposition has been average at best. Wednesday will be his first real test.
According to UEFA's official preview of the match, Allegri only won a single game against Spanish opposition during his time in Milan in 12 tries. In fairness, eight of those matches came against Barcelona and six of those were at the height of their power under Pep Guardiola. He also had to deal with a roster that was consistently declining in quality.
So far Allegri hasn't meddled with the 3-5-2 tactics that gave Juve so much success over the last three years. Many consider it a matter of time until he employs a four-man defense, but he was quoted on the web site of Italian transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio in September as saying that he "can't use it until I have the personnel to do it."
Presumably, this means he's waiting until center-back Andrea Barzagli returns from off-season surgery to correct a nagging heel issue.
We're going to be seeing the 3-5-2—with a few minor tweaks, such as a reduction in the frequency of long shots—until he deems the time is right. Juve fans will hope he has figured out a way to compensate for the formation's apparent weakness on the wing.
Recent Matchups
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These two clubs have never played each other.
Juve's last encounter with Spanish opposition came against Atletico's archrivals, Real Madrid in last year's group stage. They performed well in a 2-1 loss at the Bernabeu and arguably should have won two weeks later in a 2-2 draw in Turin.
Atletico's last clash with an Italian side came in last year's round of 16, when they hammered AC Milan 5-1 on aggregate.
Key Matchup 1
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Diego Godin vs. Fernando Llorente
This will be an incredible matchup between two players who are excellent in the air.
Llorente is a force when he can latch on to the end of a cross. Godin is similarly sterling in attack on set pieces and is a force in his own box.
Llorente scored five times in 13 games against Atletico during his time at Athletic Bilbao. He knows the team quite well and will be looking to exploit that familiarity.
Look for Godin to stay very close to the Spanish striker to deny Juve a key weapon. Conversely, look for Juve to use Carlos Tevez's ball skills to pull Godin away from Llorente and leave the latter more open to a cross.
Key Matchup 2
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Arturo Vidal vs. Koke
The subject of massive transfer speculation this summer, Arturo Vidal—King Arthur to most Juve fans—still holds court in Turin. The most complete player in the game today, Vidal's combination of excellence in passing, finishing and defending is unmatched.
Koke may change that if he continues to develop. He has been imperious in Diego Simeone's midfield and so far has been one of the best mids in Europe this season.
The young Spaniard may very well get the better of this matchup. Vidal is still rounding into form after knee and thigh injuries delayed his return to the field in black-and-white stripes.
Whoever overcomes the other will be able to turn the midfield battle in his team's favor—and whoever wins that battle will win the war.
Key Matchup 3
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Miguel Angel Moya or Jan Oblak vs. Gianluigi Buffon
Moya has started all six of Atletico's league games but was pipped to the starting job by former Benfica goalkeeper Oblak in the Champions League opener.
Oblak was signed this summer to replace departed keeper Thibaut Courtois, who was finally recalled by Chelsea. He faced Juve in the second leg of the Europa League semifinal last spring. It was an ill-tempered game marred by blatant time-wasting by Benfica (referee Mark Clattenburg did nothing about it), but Oblak made a few great saves to keep the score 0-0 and put Benfica through to the final. He started that all-Iberian affair against Sevilla, but his team ended up on the wrong end of a shootout.
Oblak has the experience of going deep into a European competition and at 21 still has plenty of room to develop, but it's not entirely clear who will play this game.
On the other end of the field is the imperious presence of Gianluigi Buffon. He isn't the physical specimen he was on his record-setting World Cup run in 2006, but Buffon is still one of the best goalkeepers in the game. He is still capable of phenomenal saves (like his big double save against Uruguay in the World Cup) and remains arguably the best in the world at organizing his defense.
Buffon will be a key for Juve. If they are to contain Atleti away from home, their keeper and captain will have to be in top form.
We may see Atletico keep more of the ball, but a team like Juve are going to manufacture some chances. Whichever keeper plays for Atletico will have to be up to the task or else risk putting his team in a bad situation.
Prediction
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This is a really tough game to call. In a neutral venue in a one-off game, I'd be of a mind to predict penalty kicks.
The last time I previewed Juventus, against AC Milan, I said that Juve's clean sheet streak would end. I was wrong. This time, I'm pretty sure that won't be the case. Unless the Bianconeri put in a herculean defensive effort, Atletico are going to score in their own stadium.
The question becomes how much will they score—and whether Juve can respond in kind.
Atletico's scoring has been spread around. Under normal circumstances it would be considered a good thing that the team aren't overreliant on a single scorer, but to me this says that the team still haven't found a scoring identity after the departure of Diego Costa. Against a team as good defensively as Juve, that could become an issue.
In the end I think that Atletico will grab one, while Tevez will either score or create one on the other end. A win would be ideal for Atletico in their own stadium, but Juve are on a run of confidence that I think can get them points, even in the Vicente Calderon.
I predict a 1-1 draw.
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