Double match point. Decisive night for Juventus and Roma, called to take the 3 points to grab the pass towards the round of 5. Mathematical qualification for the black and whites, who with a success against Manchester United would become impregnable for everyone, "in fact" for the yellow and reds, who by winning would send CSKA Moscow XNUMX points behind with only two games available.
Italian football can therefore already cross a first goal starting with Juve, determined to give another signal of strength to the whole of Europe. The match in Turin against Mourinho's United can certify the passage of the round, moreover as first in the standings and with full points, with two rounds to spare: exactly what concerns one of the main favorites to win the trophy.
“We have to challenge ourselves and do something more – Allegri confirmed – Let's remember that we haven't won anything yet and that we still have to improve on some aspects, we'll need a better performance than the first leg because they can be dangerous at all times. We hope to go through immediately, so then we can think about Milan."
Yes, because on Sunday there will be the away match at San Siro: a real tour de force that the Juventus coach has to face with numerous training problems. In addition to the absent Emre Can, Bernardeschi and Douglas Costa, the less than optimal conditions of Cancelo and Matuidi, available only for the bench, must also be considered.
Juve's 4-3-3 will therefore be quite forced with Szczesny in goal, De Sciglio, Bonucci, Chiellini and Alex Sandro in defense, Khedira, Pjanic and Bentancur in midfield, Dybala, Mandzukic and Cristiano Ronaldo in attack. To further ignite the challenge there will be José Mourinho, one who does not exactly have an idyllic relationship with the Juventus people.
"In the first leg, their fans behaved badly with me - confirmed the Portuguese - I know well what is the reason for all this: the Treble, that's why they insult me". And so, after the three fingers raised at Old Trafford, here is the jab in the press room that will further raise the stadium's decibels, eager to win also to avenge the past.
Mou, as an old fox on the bench, knows well how Juve are superior, hence the attempt to shift attention to other issues, in the end, however, the pitch will do the talking and there we will see his United lined up with a 4-3- 3 mirroring the black and white one with De Gea between the posts, Young, Smalling, Lindelof and Shaw in the back department, Herrera, Fred and Pogba in the midfield, Sanchez, Rashford and Martial in the offensive trident.
However, Wednesday will be inaugurated by Roma, engaged in the anticipation of 18.55 on the CSKA Moscow field. Goncharenko's team is difficult to read, clearly beaten at the Olimpico in the first leg and yet capable of stopping Real Madrid within the friendly walls of the Arena. And then, more than the opponent, it is Rome itself that is frightening, too fickle to give 360° guarantees.
The latest league results have highlighted problems that seemed to have been overcome and which, instead, in the light of what we saw with Spal, Napoli and Fiorentina, are all still there. Of course, in the Champions League (apart from the Bernabeu away match) we saw another film but it is also true that Viktoria Plzen and CSKA in the away version did not appear as particularly reliable tests.
"A victory could cheer us up but we have to learn not to let ourselves be influenced by the episodes - thought Di Francesco - I want the boys to enter the game well and know how to interpret it in the best possible way, mentality and identity, after all, do not depend only on tactical choices" .
But they have their weight, which is why there is a lot of curiosity in understanding what the coach will do, oriented towards confirming the 4-2-3-1 of the last few outings with Olsen in goal, Santon, Manolas, Fazio and Kolarov in defense , Nzonzi and Cristante in midfield, Florenzi, Pellegrini and Kluivert behind the lone striker Dzeko.
Usual 4-3-1-2 for Goncharenko, who after the 1-0 draw against Real Madrid last 2 October will attempt another coup with Akinfeev in goal, Nababkin, Becao, Magnusson and Fernandes in the back, Vlasic, Akhmetov and Oblyakov in midfield, Dzagoev in the frontline, Sigurdsson and Chalov in attack.
