Manchester City will be looking to take their immaculate Premier League form into their Champions League campaign as they take on Juventus on Tuesday in the first match of Group D in this year’s competition.
City have won five out five in the league and are yet to concede a goal. They find themselves five points ahead of Manchester United and Arsenal, and 11 in front of last season’s champions Chelsea. Leicester City, in second, sit four points behind the Blues.
City are setting all sorts of records, too. Victory over Watford saw them break a 103-year record of consecutive league victories, with their win at Crystal Palace on Saturday extending their current run to 11 straight wins. They have also kept six consecutive clean sheets in a row, something they have never managed before, and their five away wins in a row has equalled the club's best-ever tally.
Juventus, meanwhile, have begun the season in poor form. Having won Serie A at a canter last season while reaching the Champions League final, they haven’t looked the same this campaign, with just one point from their opening three matches.
Andrea Pirlo, a wonderful passer who brought control to the side, left for New York City FC, and Arturo Vidal, whose aggression and urgency was key to their success, joined Bayern Munich. It’s left them looking far less formidable, and City will be hoping to capitalise on their shaky start.
BUFFON: "Our Serie A start? We expected more, but now we just need to focus objectively on this match ahead of us against #MCFC." #cityvjuve
— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) September 14, 2015
Date: Tuesday, September 15
Kick-Off: 7:45 p.m. BST/2:45 p.m. ET
TV Listings: BT Sport (UK)
Live Stream: Not available
Form Guide (Last five league games)
City
Palace 0-1 City
City 2-0 Watford
Everton 0-2 City
City 3-0 Chelsea
West Brom 0-3 City
Juventus
Juventus 1-1 Chievo
Roma 2-1 Juventus
Juventus 0-1 Udinese
Hellas Verona 2-2 Juventus (2014/15 season)
Juventus 3-1 Napoli (2014/15 season)
Massimiliano Allegri and @gianluigibuffon are in the house... #cityvjuve pic.twitter.com/Oh3nOnzvYC
— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) September 14, 2015
Predicted Formations
City
Sergio Aguero is out of the game with a knee injury suffered against Palace on Saturday. Aguero was on the receiving end of a hefty challenge from Scott Dann that enraged Pellegrini and hasn’t recovered in time for this match.
.@aguerosergiokun out, but midfield quartet in for #mcfc ahead of #cityvjuve. Team news: http://t.co/OojVkqzPv1 pic.twitter.com/MOT4j3dSd1
— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) September 14, 2015
The good news for City, though, is the return to the starting line up of David Silva and Raheem Sterling, both of whom missed the win at Selhurst Park. Gael Clichy, Pablo Zabaleta and Fabian Delph remain out, but Fernando has recovered from his recent injury troubles and is available for selection again.
City possible starting XI: Hart--Sagna, Kompany, Mangala, Kolarov—Toure, Fernandinho—De Bruyne, Silva, Sterling—Bony
Great training session this morning! We are all looking forward to the game tomorrow!! #ComeOnCity !!! pic.twitter.com/2xPOys0JWE
— Yaya Touré (@YayaToure) September 14, 2015
Juventus
The Old Lady will be without Sami Khedira, Kwadwo Asamoah and Claudio Marchisio for the trip to the Etihad.
ALLEGRI: "I have five midfielders available tomorrow. We'll wait & see if I go with three or four - I won't be revealing my XI." #cityvjuve
— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) September 14, 2015
Juventus possible starting XI: Buffon--Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Chiellini, Sandro--Hernanes--Sturaro, Pogba--Pereyra--Morata, Mandzukic
Players to Watch
City: David Silva
David Silva missed Saturday’s win over Crystal Palace with an ankle problem, but he is set to return to the side for City’s first European match of the season.
The Spanish playmaker has been the Blues’ best player so far this term. He controls games with his passing ability, vision and creativity.
With the added pace and balance brought to the side by Raheem Sterling, Silva appears to be getting more room to inflict damage. He's a joy to watch and remains City's most potent attacking threat.
Juventus: Paul Pogba
The departures of Pirlo and Vidal have left Paul Pogba as Juventus’ outstanding player.
The Frenchman, 22, is on the cusp of greatness. He possesses a range of attributes only matched by a select few in world football: pace, power, an ability to run with the ball, tackle and score goals. There’s very little he can’t do.
He has single-handedly dominated matches since he moved to Juventus in 2012 after a frustrating spell at Manchester United.
It’s impossible to nullify him completely, but City need to minimise his impact on the game because he’s capable of winning the match with moments of brilliance.
Key Battle: Wilfried Bony vs.Giorgio Chiellini
In the absence of Aguero, it’s likely Wilfried Bony will lead the line for City, with Pellegrini expected to start with the 4-2-3-1 formation that has served him so well for much of the season so far.
Bony’s start to life at City has been mixed. His introduction to the side was delayed by his involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations, and then niggling injuries and Pellegrini’s switch to one man upfront saw his chances limited even further.
There have, though, been flashes of his quality. On Saturday at Selhurst Park, he showed some neat touches and excellent hold-up play, bringing others into the game and adding a physical edge to City’s attack.
If he can start well and play with confidence—and against Giorgio Chiellini, a hugely experienced defender, it won’t be easy—City will fancy their chances of scoring some goals against a side likely to be low on confidence.
Odds (via Odds Shark)
City: -120
Juventus: +325
Draw: +240
Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2015/16 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.
via http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2566674-manchester-city-vs-juventus-team-news-predicted-lineups-live-stream-tv-info
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