08/07/2020 - 12:57
- Clarín.com
- sports
To change history
This is Lyon's 11th appearance in the knockout stages of the Champions League. In the previous 10 he advanced four times and was eliminated six. But the latest information is not positive: it fell in six of the last seven crosses in this instance. Last year, his executioner was Lionel Messi's Barcelona: they drew 0-0 at home and lost 5-1 away. The last time he passed this round was in the 2009/10 edition, when he dispatched Real Madrid.
Tight on the bench
Among the regulatory modifications that UEFA made for this decisive segment of the Champions League is the possibility that each team has 12 substitutes instead of the usual 7. However, Juventus will have only 11 men on the bench as three of the 25 included in the list are not available.
The Lyon eleven
Rudi García will keep the 3-5-2 scheme he used in the first leg. His team will be made up of Anthony Lopes; Jason Denayer, Marcelo, Fernando Marçal; Léo Dubois, Maxence Caqueret, Houssem Aouar, Maxwel Cornet, Bruno Guimarães; Memphis Depay and Karl Toko Ekambi.
Confirmed: Higuaín holder and Dybala to the bank
Maurizio Sarri decided that Juventus take the field with Wojciech Szczesny; Juan Cuadrado, Matthijs De Ligt, Leonardo Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Rodrigo Bentancur, Miralem Pjanic, Adrien Rabiot; Federico Bernardeschi, Gonzalo Higuaín and Cristiano Ronaldo. Paulo Dybala will wait for his opportunity on the substitute bench.
An illusionary antecedent
Last year, Juventus also lost as a visitor and without scoring the first leg of their key to the round of 16: it was 2-0 against Atlético de Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano in the Spanish capital. In the rematch, the Turin team won 3-0 with three goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and advanced to the quarterfinals. In that instance, it was removed by Ajax.
Heat plays
The weather will be an influencing factor in a match of maximum tension and that could last 120 minutes. With an hour to go before the start of the duel, the thermometer reads 31 degrees in Turin. In addition, Juventus players carry a large accumulation of hours of play on their bodies: they have played 14 games since the activity was restarted just under two months ago.
A little here, a little there
The Bosnian Miralem Pjanic, who has 178 games and seven titles with Juventus, already knows that next season he will be teammates with Lionel Messi in Barcelona.Today he will face the team that projected him at the first level almost a decade ago: he played 121 games in Lyon between 2008 and 2011.
Return of the captain
The almost five-month stoppage imposed by the coronavirus pandemic allowed the Dutch Memphis Depay to recover from a torn cruciate ligament in his left knee that he suffered on December 15 last year in a game against Rennes. The 26-year-old forward was a key player for Lyon in the group stage of this Champions League: he scored five goals in five games.
It is a question of attitude
“The energy and adrenaline that will spin in the dressing room will be fundamental. It will take enthusiasm and will. In these games, a small gesture, a word or positive energy can make a difference individually and collectively ”, the Juventus captain, Leonardo Bonucci, was delighted.
The last letter
Lyon finished seventh in the French League, which was concluded with 10 dates remaining due to the coronavirus pandemic, and did not qualify for the next season of European competitions. He could have made it through the League Cup, but he lost the final to PSG. The only chance he has left is to win this edition of the Champions League. It seems difficult ...
Sarri knows it won't be easy
"It will be a tough game and we will start with a difficult result. We must show great lucidity, a lot of calm and a lot of patience," said the Juventus coach, whose permanence for the next season was questioned in recent weeks. “The managers are not amateurs. They have already made their evaluation, regardless of tomorrow's result (for today) they will have decided if there will be a change or continuity, "he said.
Fate in your hands
"Our destiny depends on us and we can play the qualification to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. We lack a bit of rhythm in the game, but in the final of the Cup (of the French League) against Paris Saint-Germain we proved to be well ”, warned Lyon coach Rudi García.
Italian advantage
This will be the sixth match between Juventus and Lyon, all in the last six years. La Vecchia Signora prevailed in both games of a quarter-final bracket of the Europa League in the 2013/14 season and also as a visitor in the group stage of the Champions 2016/17. In that edition, but in Turin, they tied 1 to 1. The only victory for the French was in the first leg of the crossing that will be defined this afternoon.
Higuain's farewell?
Although he still has one more year on his contract, Pipita could be living his last days as a Juventus player. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the most feasible resolution is for him to cancel his link after the end of Juve's participation in the Champions League and look for another destination, which could be in MLS. Even the Italian newspaper is considering the possibility of the retirement of the 32-year-old forward.
Little activity
Since the French League was suspended on March 8 due to the coronavirus pandemic (it was closed in April), Lyon played only one match: last Friday, they lost the League Cup final on penalties with Paris Saint-Germain, after having tied 0-0, barely 120 minutes of action in the last five months.
There is room for Dybala
Argentine Paulo Dybala was called up for the rematch that Juventus will play this afternoon against Olympique Lyon in Turin for the passage to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Most likely, the Cordovan, MVP of the season in Italy, will start the game on the substitute bench, but having him available is undoubtedly a relief for the coach and a hope for the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo, his partner in attack.
The difference
A solitary goal after half an hour of play from midfielder Lucas Tousart, who will not be able to be at Juventus Stadium this Friday after signing for Hertha Berlin, placed the 'Vecchia Signora' on the ropes.
The previous
Juventus and Olympique de Lyon collide this Friday in Turin (16.00, on Fox Sports), in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16. The team led by Cristiano Ronaldo will seek to overcome the unfavorable result of the first leg in France (0-1) so as not to be left out of the atypical final phase to be held in Lisbon as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.