RB Leipzig vs Juventus
RB Leipzig and Juventus are set to trade tackles in a tasty-looking UEFA Champions League clash at the Red Bull Arena.
After a three-match winless run in all competitions (D2, L1), including a gut-wrenching 2-1 defeat at Atletico Madrid in their Champions League opener, Leipzig thrashed Augsburg 4-0 last weekend to set themselves up nicely for their first-ever clash against Juventus. Marco Rose’s side will be out to rewrite the history books by posting their maiden home European win against Italian opposition after back-to-back winless attempts (D1, L1). It’s hard to put it past ‘Die Roten Bullen’ to achieve that target, considering they’re unbeaten in their last nine outings on home turf (W6, D3), while they’ve yet to concede at the Red Bull Arena this term (W2, D1). Worryingly, Leipzig have lost twice in their four most recent home European games (W2) – as many defeats as in their previous ten such contests (W4, D4).
In the meantime, Juventus delivered a phenomenal second-half performance to topple Genoa 3-0 last weekend and put a stop to a disappointing run of three consecutive scoreless draws in Serie A for the first time since 1992. Thiago Motta’s men are the only team in Europe’s traditional top-five divisions yet to concede a league goal this season (W3, D3). However, the only time they capitulated this season was in this competition as PSV Eindhoven struck home a late consolation goal in Juventus’ emphatic 3-1 win in Turin on matchday one. ‘I Bianconeri’ can’t afford to tuck themselves into a false sense of security, as they’ve suffered four defeats across their last five Champions League away games (D1).