Juventus vs. Atletico Madrid: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info and Preview
The champions of Italy and Spain square off in the final game of Group A in the Champions League, and it’s a massive game for Juventus who remain unsure of their future in European football’s top-tier competition.
Massimiliano Allegri’s team can still go out of the tournament should they lose to Atletico Madrid at the Juventus Stadium, while a two-goal win over the Rojiblancos would be enough to see them top what has been an enthralling Group A. Atletico are already qualified for the next round but will be desperate to cling on to their top spot.
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That should make for an engrossing 90 minutes of action in Turin and subsequently, this is not a match to be missed. Here’s all the information you need on what should be a dramatic clash between two teams that’ll have eyes for the European Cup come the end of the season.
Date: Tuesday, Dec. 9
Time: 7:45 p.m. GMT/ 2:45 p.m. ET
Live Stream: Sky Go App (UK), Fox Soccer Plus (US)
TV Info: Sky Sports Red Button (UK)
Likely Lineups:
Juventus Have It All to Play For
A draw in the final game to secure qualification to the last 16 sounds simple enough for a Juventus team that’s bristling with top-class players. But rewind 12 months—when the Bianconeri were in a similar situation against Galatasaray—and they failed to get the required result to progress, as Wesley Sneijder snatched a 1-0 win for the Turkish giants.
Admittedly they were away from home that day, but Allegri’s side have failed to convince in earnest in Europe as of yet this season, which is peculiar when you consider their wonderful domestic form. If they lose and Olympiakos topple Malmo, Juve will find themselves competing for the Europa League title in the second half of the season.
It’s a high-pressure situation, and ahead of this one, veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has called on his teammates to play with a swagger, per football-italia.net:
"On Tuesday a Final awaits us and we will fight to finish top, but the fundamental thing is qualification. We care a great deal about doing well with Atletico, just as we know this is an appointment long-awaited by our fans.
We consider ourselves a team on the verge of becoming one of the greats, so we must have the strength to take risks and be more daring, even in our choice of line-ups.
"
Indeed, this Juve team is a very good one. But to be considered as a great, it’s vital that they make an impression in Europe. If they were to be knocked out at the expense of Olympiakos, it’d be a major, major disappointment, but Allegri has the players at hand to ensure this team gets the job done.
The Bianconeri’s current talisman is Carlos Tevez, who has scored three Champions League goals already this season, per WhoScored.com. Domestically he’s been in excellent form too, and the former United man will be hoping to cause problems in an Atletico defence that will be without key central defender Miranda and left-back Cristian Ansaldi.
If he can produce moments like this goal he scored against Parma, the Argentina man will be very difficult to stop:
There’s little chance of Diego Simeone’s team rolling over in this one, though. They’ll be typically tenacious and will fight to the end to preserve their spot atop the group. The 2014 runners-up lost to Olympiakos in their first Champions League match of the season; since then they’ve been excellent in the competition, getting their revenge on the Greeks with a 4-0 win last time out.
Mario Mandzukic scored a hat-trick that evening, and the rangy Croatian is having a magnificent debut campaign in Rojiblanco colours, as noted here by ESPN’s Dermot Corrigan:
Even with Tevez and Mandzukic on show, don’t expect many goals in this one, as both sides boast ferocious midfield players who are experts when it comes to nullifying the opposition’s attacking threat. One goal decided the game when the two met at the Vicente Calderon, and given how little there is to choose between these two sides, that could easily be the case again.
Juve should just squeeze through to win this one. They have a little more incentive than the visitors and in front of their own supporters the Italian champions have been pretty formidable so far this season, winning every game they’ve played on home soil, per WhoScored.com.
Prediction: Juventus 1-0 Atletico Madrid
