Following their poor performance in last year's Champions League, Juventus were slammed in many of Italy's newspapers. Although the Bianconeri have established themselves as a dominant force in Serie A, they so far have been unable to match that on the continental stage and were even unable to feature in the Europa League final featuring in their home stadium.
La Vecchia Signora, which more or less was described as "Big in Italy, but small in Europe", will be keen on putting that all behind them as they kick off their third straight European campaign, but the first under new coach Massimiliano Allegri. And for yet another season, they will have to contend with Scandinavian opponents, this time in the form of Malmo FF (which will be familiar to some as the team that PSG star Zlatan Ibrahimovic began his professional career with).
To make matters worse, Allegri again has a whole crop of players who are recovering from injuries, with the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, and Giorgio Chiellini all at varying levels of fitness as they continue their respective rehab programs. And this is something that the former Milan boss is certainly aware of.
"Malmo are certainly ahead of us in terms of their condition," he stated during a pre-match press conference, also noting that the Swedish outfit has played over 20 games and so are much more match-fit than the Bianconeri, who have only just began their domestic campaign.
However, one advantage Juventus do have over their opponents is their experience on the continental stage. This will be the first time Malmo will feature in a Champions League group stage. As a result, coach Age Hareide is realistic about his side's chances in a quartet that includes two league champions--the aforementioned Juventus as well as La Liga's Atletico Madrid--among their opponents.
"The important thing now is to not settle for just taking part...we want to compete and do the best [that] we can," he informed reporters ahead of his side's trip to Turin.
One side is desperate to establish themselves as a serious European force, whereas the other would be happy with just earning third place and a Europa League berth. Which side will prevail? Tune in to find out.
Where to watch the match: live steam info, TV listings, start time
Watch Juventus vs Malmo FF live on Tuesday, September 16, 2014:
In the USA at 14.45 EST on: Fox Soccer 2Go, ESPN3 Online-App, ESPN Deportes+
In Canada at 14.45 ET on: Sportsnet World Now
In the UK at 19.45 BST on: Sky Sports Red Button, Sky Go Extra, Sky Go
In Italy at 20.45 CET on: SKY Go Italia
In Sweden at 20.45 CET on: TV6 Sweden, Viaplay Sweden
For complete details of match listings and live scores, visit the Juventus vs. Malmo FF match page.
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