Juventus take on the visitors Benfica in the round 7 match of UEFA Champions League – League Phase. The match will be played on Wednesday, January 21st at Allianz Stadium (Turin).
Juventus have improved after appointing an experienced head coach. The Old Lady periodically embarks on questionable experiments, often harming their own prospects. Allegri seemed to have stabilized the situation by finishing third in Serie A and winning the Coppa Italia at the same time, but the club still decided to part ways with him in an untidy manner, without waiting for the summer. The price was paid through the failure of his successor in Turin, as Thiago Motta struggled, while Tudor, after at least holding on to fourth place in Serie A in the spring, failed to deliver at the Club World Cup and then quickly ran out of momentum in the new season. This time, however, Juventus turned to a proven specialist in Spalletti, and the effect was almost immediate, with results clearly improving. The Italians finally began to collect wins again in the Champions League, even if the opposition there included debutants such as Bodø/Glimt and Paphos. Recent league performances also point to growing confidence, with Juventus looking more composed and pragmatic. At home, they have started to turn narrow matches in their favor more consistently, which is crucial in decisive fixtures.
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Benfica had spent several seasons trailing behind Sporting. The new campaign began with a Super Cup victory over their rivals, followed by successful results in Champions League qualification and the Primeira Liga in August. Still, early autumn brought a couple of costly slip-ups against Santa Clara and Qarabag, with a particularly painful and lifeless 2-3 defeat in the Champions League. As a result, Mourinho was appointed head coach, despite having been dismissed by Fenerbahçe in the summer after losing to Portuguese opposition in qualification. So far, that move has delivered little improvement. In the Primeira Liga, the Lisbon giants now trail not only Sporting but also Porto, with the gap already exceeding ten points. In the League Cup, the reigning holders lost to Braga, and in Europe they also suffered defeats under José, against Chelsea, Newcastle, and Bayer. Only recently did things stabilize somewhat, with wins over Ajax and Napoli restoring a bit of belief. Even so, overall form remains inconsistent, especially away from home. Benfica still struggle to sustain momentum over several matches in a row.
The Eagles have lost only one of seven European meetings, recording five wins, including victories in all of the last three encounters. The Italians are playing at home, and under these conditions they should secure the much-needed victory.
Prediction for the match: Juventus to win.
