Juventus welcome PSV Eindhoven to Turin on Tuesday, marking their highly anticipated return to the Champions League after a one-year absence.
The Italian giants, two-time winners of the competition, will face the 1988 champions in their first competitive meeting.
With 24 Champions League appearances, Juventus boasts an Italian record, surpassing AC Milan’s 21.
However, they’ve also suffered seven final defeats, including five in the Champions League era.
Following Max Allegri’s departure, Thiago Motta took the reins, guiding Juventus to a promising start with back-to-back 3-0 wins.
Despite recent draws against Roma and Empoli, the Bianconeri have achieved four consecutive clean sheets in Serie A.
PSV Eindhoven won their first league title since 2018, breaking Ajax’s national record with 91 points.
Peter Bosz’s side has started this season impressively, winning all five league games and scoring 20 goals.
PSV’s attacking firepower will be a concern for Juventus, but their Champions League away form tells a different story.
The Dutch side have won just one of their last 17 away games in the competition, with their only success coming last season against Sevilla. PSV will be keen to shake off this poor record when they face Juventus in Turin.
Juventus manager Thiago Motta has been cautious with his new signings, but several got their chance in the 0-0 draw against Empoli, with Teun Koopmeiners, Nico Gonzalez, Pierre Kalulu, and Douglas Luiz all starting.
Khephren Thuram also made his return from injury, while Timothy Weah was back in action following a thigh problem.
However, Francisco Conceicao remains doubtful due to a calf injury, and Motta may continue to rotate some of his younger players like Nicolo Savona and Samuel Mbangula.
Dusan Vlahovic is expected to lead the line for Juve, but the Serbian striker has struggled to find the net, scoring just once in the opening four matches.
His form will be crucial to Juventus’ success in the group stage.
For PSV, their key man Luuk de Jong made a successful return from injury last weekend, scoring from the penalty spot in a 4-0 win over NEC Nijmegen.
Midfielder Guus Til has also been in fine form, finding the back of the net in three consecutive matches.
However, in-form winger Hirving Lozano is likely to miss out due to injury, while Noa Lang and defenders Rick Karsdorp and Sergino Dest are also fitness doubts for the trip to Turin.
This season’s Champions League features 36 teams in a single league table, with each club playing eight different teams (four home, four away).
The top eight teams will advance to the last 16, while teams in positions nine to 24th will enter a play-off round.
Juventus will look to make a statement on their return to the Champions League, and with their defensive record, they could prove difficult for PSV to break down.
PSV, meanwhile, will hope their free-flowing attack can make an impact, but their poor away form in Europe
