At the midway point in their third straight Champions League campaign, Juventus are certainly feeling the pressure. A win over Swedish side Malmo was followed by defeats to last season's runners-up Atletico Madrid and then Greek outfit Olympiakos.
While there are three games remaining before the knock-out stages, the Bianconeri are now in a very uncomfortable position. A loss would likely mean the reigning Scudetto champions will fail to get out of the group stage for the second consecutive season, something that the team and their fans will be desperate to avoid.
While the last time La Vecchia Signora welcomed their Greek opponents the score finished as a 7-0 rout, that was nearly 11 years ago. Naturally, a lot has changed but Massimiliano Allegri's men bounced back from a frustrating week that saw them succumb to a shock loss to Genoa by defeating Empoli 2-0 this past weekend. As a result, coupled with Roma's loss, they now move three points clear at the top of the table and will have to turn all their attentions towards this make-or-break clash for their European ambitions.
Consequently, the hosts are not taking the game lightly, as long-serving midfielder Claudio Marchisio underlined in a press conference on Monday:
"Tomorrow will be critical," the 28-year-old Italian international stated to reporters.
"It's a game that will be fundamental to our season. While it will not be an easy match, we will have the fans behind us at home and we have the second-best defense in Europe. During this month, we have dropped a lot of points and gone through some bad periods but the team is united."
Certainly Juventus fans will be pleased to hear that their team intend to give their all against Olympiakos but will obviously hope that they will turn their words into action on the pitch. One thing, though, the Bianconeri do have going for them is the fact that they boast a long-standing unbeaten record at Juventus stadium dating back to April 2013, and will be keen on not allowing their Greek visitors to spoil it.
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