Juventus, already beaten three times in the Champions League, has almost drawn a line under the round of 16 but wants to win in Lisbon against Benfica on Tuesday (9:00 p.m.) to secure third place synonymous with the Europa League.
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“
Tuesday, we will have to be good.
On the one hand because we are not yet eliminated from the Champions League, on the other hand because we are not yet in the Europa League
”, summed up the bianconero coach Massimiliano Allegri.
After having "
shamed
" its president Andrea Agnelli during his last European outing on the ground of Maccabai Haifa (0-2), Juve intends to restore its image against Benfica at the head of Group H with Paris-SG.
With a five-point lead, the Portuguese (8 pts) will qualify in the event of a victory, and probably also in the event of a draw, and will consequently eliminate Juve (3 pts).
Read alsoSerie A: Massimiliano Allegri confirmed at the helm of a drifting Juventus
Elimination from the group stage of the Champions League, a bad financial blow when the club recorded a record deficit last season (254 million euros), would be a first for the "
Old Lady
" since the 2013 financial year .
/14.
That season, Juve had caught up in C3 by reaching the semi-finals, however deprived of the final played in Turin by … Benfica.
A possible victory for Juve 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 ground.
But it would allow Leonardo Bonucci and his family to hope to keep third place in the distance duel with the Israelis (also 3 pts).
Benfica unbeaten
Winning would above all confirm the small burst glimpsed since the slap in Haifa: for the first time, Juve chained two successes in Serie A against Torino (1-0) and Empoli (4-0), even if it remains at ten points from the Neapolitan leader (8th).
This burst, after the presidential warning shot and two days of isolation of the players in the hotel on their return from Haifa, reassured Allegri, confirmed despite the still strong criticism: “
We are starting to look a little more like a team.
»
A team finally able to react, carried by the great form of Adrien Rabiot in the middle, even if it remains fragile, with frequent technical deficiencies, and is further diminished by injuries.
Read alsoSerie A: Pogba back in collective training with Juve
Paul Pogba and Federico Chiesa have returned to training but will not be on the trip, nor will defender Gleison Bremer, midfielder Leandro Paredes and striker (and ex-Benfica player) Angel Di Maria.
What to fear this trip to "
Eagles
" still undefeated in fourteen matches this season, in the league where they prance in the lead as in C1 where they hooked twice with Paris-SG (1-1) and won in Turin at the go (2-1).
The optimist Allegri believes that "
this may be the right opportunity
" to end the series.
