After watching Inter crash out of the Champions League on Tuesday at the hands of Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt, Juventus could be the final Italian side remaining in Champions League play by the time they host Galatasaray on Wednesday. There’s just one slight issue: Juventus trail by three goals in the clash and will be without suspended players Andrea Cambiaso and Juan Cabal. Center back Gleison Bremer also may not make the match after leaving the first leg with an injury, as Luciano Spalletti’s side has a tough task at hand while needing to ensure that Victor Osimhen doesn’t make their defense pay while they push for goals in the match.
How to watch Juventus vs. Galatasaray, odds
- Date: Wednesday, Feb 25 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Allianz Stadium — Torino, Italy
- TV: CBS Sports Network | Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Juventus -200; Draw +400; Galatasaray +425
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History isn’t on Juventus’ side for being able to mount a comeback either. Of the 49 times a team has trailed by three or more goals after the first leg of a Champions League knockout stage tie, they’ve come back to aadvance only four times: Deportivo de La Coruña in 2003-04, Barcelona in 2016-17, Roma in 2017-18, and Liverpool in 2018-19. On one hand, since it happened in three consecutive seasons at one point, you could say that we’re due for an epic comeback, but it’s hard to see Juventus being the team to do it.
Jonathan David, returning to lead the line after American Weston McKennie deputized in the first leg, will offer a boost to the attack, but even that may not be enough. Galatasaray haven’t been the most stout defensive side, allowing 13 goals in their nine UCL games so far, but they’ve scored just enough, finding the net 14 times, which is actually behind Juventus’ 16. Essentially, this Juventus team isn’t the defensive stalwart that they used to be since Spalletti took over this season, and they can score some goals, but the issue is coming into the match trailing by three. Even if all goes well and they win by three goals, that would only be enough to force extra time, showing just how tough this will be.
For the team that advances, they’ll have a chance to draw either Tottenham or Liverpool in the round of 16, which is one of the most desirable draws due to Tottenham being in a relegation race in the Premier League despite finishing fourth in the league phase. Of course, neither team can think about that until advancement is secured, but depending on the draw on Friday, this knockout stage match could be trickier territory than the round of 16.
