“Tuesday, we will have to be good. On the one hand because we are not yet eliminated from the Champions League, on the other because we are not yet in the Europa League “, summed up the Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri.
After having “shamed” its president Andrea Agnelli during his last European outing on the field of Maccabai Haifa (0-2), Juve intends to return their image against Benfica at the head of Group H with Paris-SG. With a five-point advantage, the Portuguese (8 points) will qualify in the event of a victory, and probably also in the event of a draw, and consequently will eliminate Juve (3 points).
Elimination from the group stage of the Champions League, financial blow as the club ran a record deficit last season (254 M EUR), it would be the first time for the “Old Lady” since the 2013/14 financial year. In that season Juve had reached C3 reaching the semifinals, deprived, however, of the final played in Turin by … Benfica.
A possible Juve victory on Tuesday would probably not prevent the ax from falling on the last day, where the Portuguese will have another chance to validate their ticket on the Maccabi pitch. But it would allow Leonardo Bonucci and his family to hope to keep third place in the long-distance duel with the Israelis (even 3 points).
Undefeated Benfica
The victory would above all confirm the small shot glimpsed after the slap in Haifa: for the first time Juve achieved two successes in Serie A against Turin (1-0) and Empoli (4-0), even if it remains ten points behind the Neapolitan leaders (8th).
This outbreak, after the presidential warning shot and two days of isolation of the players in the hotel on their return from HaifaAllegri reassures, confirms despite the still strong criticisms: “We are starting to look a bit more like a team”.
A team finally able to react, brought to the center by the great form of Adrien Rabiot, even if he remains fragile, with frequent technical deficiencies, and is further diminished by injuries.
Paul Pogba and Federico Chiesa have returned to training but will not be away, as well as defender Gleison Bremer, midfielder Leandro Paredes and striker (and former Benfica player) Angel Di Maria.
What to fear this trip to the “Eagles” still unbeaten in fourteen games this season, in the league where he leaps to the head as in C1 where he hooked Paris-SG twice (1-1) and won in Turin in the first leg (2-1). The optimist Allegri believes that “this could be the right opportunity” to end the series.
