Thiago Motta’s Juventus, dealing with a real emergency in terms of injuries, did not go beyond a 0-0 draw at Aston Villa on the fifth day of the first phase of the Champions League. For the Bianconeri, in Europe, it is the second consecutive draw after the one on November 5th against Lille, which, in turn, followed the home defeat against Stuttgart. For the Old Lady, therefore, a sharp slowdown after the victories obtained in the first two matches.
What Juventus needs to qualify
Juventus, at the moment, occupies 17th position on a par with Manchester City, PSV Eindhoven and Celtic with its 8 points. The new format of the Champions League, which came into force starting from this season, provides direct access to the round of 16 for the top eight in the single ranking, while the teams placed from ninth to 24th position will face each other in the playoffs (eliminated, instead, the last eight). According to the simulations developed by the Opta supercomputer in recent weeks, 15-16 points are needed to finish in the top eight positions (it is more difficult, however, to gain the pass at 14).
This means that the Bianconeri would need a real feat to qualify without going through the playoffs: Thiago Motta’s men, in fact, should gain at least 7 points in the last three games. A mission that is anything but simple, given that the match against Guardiola’s Manchester City is just around the corner for the Old Lady, hungry for points so as not to run the risk of a premature (and sensational) elimination. Juventus will subsequently be awaiting a trip to Bruges before closing the group with the home match (not without its pitfalls) against Benfica.
Belgium
