Juventus and Manchester City meet on Wednesday for a Champions League match that comes at the right time for both clubs.
The teams are both playing below their lofty standards in their respective domestic leagues, with Juve in sixth place in Serie A after three straight draws and City having dropped to fourth in the Premier League after winning just one of their last four games.
They'll put their domestic woes aside as they try to improve their positioning in the CL league phase, which sees them holding identical 2-2-1 records (the Sky Blues are ahead in the standings based on goals scored).
Juventus vs. Manchester City: Head-to-head and recent statistics
- All-time meetings: 6
- Juventus wins: 3
- Draws: 2
- Manchester City wins: 1
Man City won the first-ever meeting between these teams, a UEFA Cup match in 1976. Since then, Juve have gone unbeaten whenever they've faced off.
Juventus vs. Manchester City: Team news
Juventus
- Injured: Gonzalez, McKennie, Luiz, Cabal, Bremer, Cambiaso
- Suspended: None
Manchester City
- Injured: Rodri, Bobb, Akanji, Ake, Stones, Foden, Kovacic
- Suspended: None
Juventus vs. Manchester City: What the managers are saying
Thiago Motta, Juventus
(via tuttomercatoweb.com)
“Commanding the game doesn’t just mean having possession, there are many things that need to be done well. Tomorrow we will face a team that we know wants to control the ball and we need to be ready when they come into our half, and then we need to use the ball well when we have it, with quality.”
Pep Guardiola, Manchester City
(via Football Italia)
“We can do better in terms of results; we need to find something inside us to get the results, but I am not the person to say bad words about the team; it’s important to perform well.
“We are not in a position to talk about winning games in the plural. We need to win the next game. We have to take points to qualify.”
Juventus vs. Manchester City: Prediction
Recent form has taken the sting out of this fixture, along with prominent absences for both sides.
With that said, Juventus seem to love a draw more than anything this season, and it feels like that's where this match is headed.
Prediction: Juventus 1-1 Manchester City