Marcos Alonso of Chelsea inspects the pitch prior to the UEFA Champions League group H match
(Chelsea)
Chelsea face Juventus in Champions League Group H looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the Premier League season.
Thomas Tuchel’s side were beaten by Manchester City on Saturday at Stamford Bridge as they slipped from top spot. They began their continental campaign with a hard-fought victory over Zenit St Petersburg but travel to Turin with a depleted squad. N’Golo Kante has tested positive for Covid-19 and is tabsent, while all of Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Reece James have been ruled out due to injury.
Juventus produced a fine performance in Sweden as they beat Malmo in their opening group fixture. Back under the management of Massimiliano Allegri, who guided the club to the final of this competition in 2015 and 2017, it has been a mixed start to the season for Juventus, who lost Cristiano Ronaldo this summer. Known for their defensive solidity and structure in Allegri’s previous spell, recent results suggest this iteration of the Italian giants may be less stodgy – the club has won each of their last two games 3-2.
They will be wary of Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, who has begun the season in strong scoring form after returning to London, and nearly joined Juventus in 2019. Yet the Belgian possesses a curiously poor record against the club: Lukaku has scored just once in six previous appearances against Juventus.
Missing a number of key players, Tuchel will be keen for his star striker to reverse that record in a crucial away encounter. Follow live minute-by-minute action below:
What are Juventus post-Ronaldo?
What are Juventus post-Ronaldo?
The Old Lady face a daunting period of transition after years of dominance, with Massimiliano Allegri’s side facing some harsh lessons
Dylan Terry29 September 2021 19:36
Juventus vs Chelsea: Guess who’s back?
Former Juventus left-back Patrice Evra is back in Turin.
He has a message for the Juventini…
Jack Rathborn29 September 2021 19:27
Capello on what Lukaku can improve on
“I think he can still do better, above all with his technique. He is already at a very high level, but a player must keep improving until the day he retires,” Capello told Sky Sport Italia.
“During the game, there are moments when Lukaku needs to be turned on, but other than that he is one of the toughest forwards to play against, because he can do damage in any area of the pitch. If you have a centre-forward like that, you need to use him and I don’t think Chelsea have quite figured out how to use him yet.
“Last season, they didn’t have a proper centre-forward, so they rotated positions, whereas Romelu is a real reference point in attack. If they can figure out how to use Lukaku, then Chelsea can become the team to beat in the Champions League this season.”
Jack Rathborn29 September 2021 19:02
Conte: Chelsea are misusing Lukaku
“A coach is good if he can improve players. I think we did great work with Romelu over two years,” Conte told Sky Sport Italia.
“He is a very specific striker. Bringing Lukaku into the box, he is dangerous. However, when he starts from midfield, he is incredibly quick. It is very difficult to find a player who is both a target man, but can also run from midfield.
“These are also characteristics I can see in Erling Haaland. I had been tracking Lukaku for a very long time and wanted him when I was at Chelsea, even when he was at West Brom.
“It’s a tactical situation too, a centre-forward who goes looking for the opposition defender, backs into him and lays it off for whoever is supporting him. That is a tactical approach used in basketball as well.
“The good thing about Romelu is that he can hurt you anywhere. If you keep him far away from the penalty area, he can kill you with his pace. If you have him in the box, he has the physicality to be a target man.”
Jack Rathborn29 September 2021 19:01
Juventus vs Chelsea team news
Juventus XI: Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado, Bentancur, Locatelli, Rabiot; Chiesa, Bernardeschi
Chelsea XI: Mendy; Christensen, Thiago Silva, Rudiger; Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kovacic, Alonso; Havertz, Lukaku, Ziyech
Jack Rathborn29 September 2021 18:51
Line-ups out shortly
Not long until we find out the team news…
Dylan Terry29 September 2021 18:50
Juventus vs Chelsea: Team news
N’Golo Kante has Covid, while Mason Mount (knock), Christian Pulisic (ankle) and Reece James (ankle) are also all still out.
Juventus have been handed a double blow after Massimiliano Allegri confirmed that both Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata will miss Wednesday’s match after sustaining injuries in Saturday’s win against Sampdoria.
Dybala is out with a thigh injury and Allegri has confirmed that both forwards will be out of Juventus’ next two games.
Jack Rathborn29 September 2021 16:20
Juventus vs Chelsea: Possible line-ups
Juventus: Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, De Ligt, Sandro; Chiesa, Locatelli, Bentancur, Rabiot; Kean, Kulusevski
Chelsea: Mendy; Christensen, Silva, Rudiger; Azpilicueta, Jorginho, Kovacic, Chilwell; Ziyech, Havertz; Lukaku
Jack Rathborn29 September 2021 16:12
