Juventus host Manchester City on Wednesday in one of the most anticipated matches on Matchday 6 of the UEFA Champions League, with both sides aiming to rise up the table as the league phase nears its conclusion.
City, the 2022-23 champions, rank 17th and are very much in the picture for a knockout berth, though they have some room for improvement with two wins out of five. They rank two places ahead of Juventus but only on goal difference, making Wednesday's clash in Italy a fascinating litmus test for two teams with a point to prove.
Here's what to know before tuning in.
How to watch and odds
- Date: Wednesday, Dec. 11 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Allianz Stadium -- Turin, Italy
- Watch: Paramount+
- Odds: Juventus +300; Draw +240; Manchester City -105
Storylines
Juventus: Thiago Motta's side are still unbeaten in Serie A action and have just one loss in Champions League action, though they have arguably left a lot of points on the table with 11 draws between the two competitions so far this season. Their defense remains the foundation of their tactical identity, conceding 15 goals in 20 games across Serie A and the Champions League, and will no doubt be the starting point for their strategy to stifle City. Goals have been somewhat hard to come by for Juve in the Champions League, scoring just seven goals in five games so far, though they will have this season's top scorers Dusan Vlahovic and Timothy Weah available on Wednesday. Weah's club and country teammate Weston McKennie could also be in contention after recently dealing with some muscle fatigue.
Manchester City: If any team's in need of reversing course, it's Manchester City. The English champions have won just one game in their last nine, a run that includes a 4-1 defeat to Sporting Lisbon and a surprise 3-3 draw with Feyenoord in Champions League action, raising questions about what version of the team will turn up on Wednesday in Turin. Pep Guardiola's side continue to experience problems all over the pitch, chief among them their defensive instability. They have conceded 21 goals during that nine-game span, keeping just one clean sheet along the way, but they have not been able to mitigate the damage in attack. City have only 12 goals during that stretch, scoring one or fewer goals in six games, a far cry from the high-scoring habits the team has boasted in years past. While Erling Haaland remains in strong form with 18 goals across all competitions this year, it's unclear where the goals are coming from otherwise – the next highest goalscorers have three goals each.
Projected lineups
Juventus: Di Gregorio, Savona, Kalulu, Gatti, Cambiaso, Locatelli, Thuram, Conceicao, Koopmeiners, Yildiz, Weah
Manchester City: Ortega, Walker, Dias, Akanji, Ake, Silva, Gundogan, Lewis, Foden, Nunes, Haaland
Prediction
Juventus' defense-first approach seems likely to cause trouble for Manchester City, who are having a tough time scoring as it is. Expect the two approaches to cancel each other out, but not without a few memorable moments first. Pick: Juventus 1, Manchester City 1
