Champions League holders Chelsea are to face Juventus tonight and the Blues will be looking to bounce back from last weekend’s defeat against Manchester City. Juventus, on the other hand, are slowly coming back from one of the worst starts in club history.Wednesday’s encounter will be one considered by both sides as a ‘must not lose’ if they are to clinch top spot in Group H of this Champions League campaign.This will be the fifth meeting between Juventus and Chelsea in the elite European club competition, with both teams recording one win each in the previous four. Juventus won their most recent meeting in the competition, recording a 3-0 home victory in the group stage in 2012-13, when Chelsea were, as now, defending their European title.Sheriff stun Real Madrid with unlikely victory at BernabeuA closely-fought contest is set to be played out this evening in Turin. One of Chelsea’s strengths that has been evident since Thomas Tuchel took charge has been their defensive stability. Since the start of last season, Chelsea have only conceded four goals in 14 Champions League matches (W10 D3 L1), keeping 10 clean sheets and never conceding more than once in a game. All 10 clean sheets have been kept by Senegalese goalkeeper Édouard Mendy in 13 appearances, the second quickest a goalkeeper has ever reached 10 clean sheets, behind only Keylor Navas (11 games).Juventus themselves are usually known for their qualities at the back, though in 2021 they have looked surprisingly vulnerable, keeping only one clean sheet in their last 21 games across all competitions.Suarez wins it for Atletico in a 97th minute penaltyThe Old Lady made a mixed start to the season after bringing back Massimiliano Allegri as boss to replace Andrea Pirlo and selling Cristiano Ronaldo to United following last term’s last-16 Champions League exit and fourth-placed finish in Serie A.”Time will tell but it’s not a secret that any team in the world without Cristiano is a weaker team because he’s one of the greatest… they lost a big champion, a big personality,” Tuchel said at his pre-match press conference when asked about the impact of Ronaldo’s departure.”But you can win games and become a strong team without Cristiano. They have a lot of experience, a lot of talent, a very experienced coach.”They are a very proud club that is used to winning. They have a mentality shaped by winning.”Messi’s debut goal for PSG seals the win against Manchester CityThe Italian giant started this Champions League mission with a confident win against Swedish outfit Malmo – 3-0. but there are some bad news – injury-related.Alvaro Morata will miss out on a Chelsea reunion while Paulo Dybala will not return from injury until after the October international break, the Italian club said on Monday. A note on Juventus’s website confirmed Morata had suffered a hamstring injury, while Dybala had picked up a thigh muscle problem.Juve still carry plenty of threat of course, including Chelsea-linked Federico Chiesa, while their defense still has the likes of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci marshaling the troops — including also Chelsea-linked young defender Matthijs de Ligt. Former Chelsea player Juan Cuadrado is still around as well while forward Moise Kean has returned from his Everton loan. Also, there are former rivals from London – Aaron Ramsey and Wojciech Szczesny, Swedish talent Dejan Kulusevski and the newest addition from Sassuolo, the EURO 2020 winner, Manuel Locatelli.Veteran Pyatov denies Inter from winning in UkraineFor Chelsea, N’Golo Kante will miss this one and probably a couple of more matches after contracting coronavirus. The France midfielder has started self-isolation and has not travelled to Italy. Along with the midfield dynamo – Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Reece James are also all still sidelined.Blues’ skipper Cesar Azpilicueta is expected to replace the 21-year-old James, while Thiago Silva is set to join Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger in the back three.Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic and Saul Niguez are the three most likely candidates for the midfield, though only two may start the match if Tuchel decides to play with three attacking players up front.German duo Timo Werner and Kai Havertz, who began on the bench against Russian side Zenit, could be handed starts alongside central striker Romelu Lukaku.Chelsea began their defence of the Champions League with a slender 1-0 victory over Zenit St Petersburg earlier this month, with Lukaku heading in the only goal of the game and his fourth of the campaign.Veteran Pyatov denies Inter from winning in UkraineAfter the Man City loss, Tuchel will not need to go back to the drawing board, and that Sunday’s defeat is a gentle reminder of the task his side face in not only retaining their European crown, but also challenging for the Premier League title against such strong opposition.After the clash with Juve, the Blues have a more favourable run of fixtures on paper over the next month, so a positive result at the Juventus Stadium would be a great way for Tuchel’s men to kickstart a strong run of form across all fronts.Juventus possible starting lineup:Szczesny; Danilo, Chiellini, Bonucci, Sandro; Bentancur, Locatelli, Ramsey; Chiesa, Kean, KulusevskiChelsea possible starting lineup:Mendy; Christensen, T. Silva, Rudiger; Azpilicueta, Kovacic, Jorginho, Alonso; Havertz, Lukaku, WernerUEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUEGroup stage – Matchday 2TuesdayAjax – Besiktas (2-0)/Berghuis 17, Haller 43/Shakhtar – Inter (0-0)PSG – Man.City 2-0 (1-0)/Gueye 8, Messi 74/ RB Leipzig – Club Brugge 1-2 (1-2)/Nkunku 5 – Vanaken 22, Rits 41/Milan – Atl.Madrid 1-2 (1-0)/Leao 20 – Griezmann 84, Suarez (p) 90+7/Porto – Liverpool 1-5 (0-2)/Taremi 74 – Salah 18, 60, Mane 45, Firmino 77, 81/Dortmund – Sporting 1-0 (1-0)/Malen 37/Real Madrid – Sheriff Tiraspol 1-2 (0-1)/Benzema 65 – Yakhshiboev 25, Thill 89/Wednesday19.45: (1.50) Atalanta (4.60) Young Boys (7.00)19.45: (1.60) Zenit (4.00) Malmo (6.50)22.00: (1.10) Bayern (13.0) Dynamo Kyiv (25.0)22.00: (2.90) Benfica (3.35) Barcelona (2.60)22.00: (1.55) Man.Utd. (4.30) Villareal (6.75)22.00: (2.05) Salzburg (3.60) Lille (3.80)22.00: (2.95) Wolfsburg (3.20) Sevilla (2.65)22.00: (4.10) Juventus (3.50) Chelsea (2.00)***odds are subject to change***
