As Juventus prepare to welcome Borussia Mönchengladbach to Juventus Stadium this evening the two sides' European and domestic showings could not possibly be any more different. Although the Bianconeri are currently on top of their Champions League group, having defeated Manchester City and Sevilla, they still continue to struggle in Serie A.
Their Scudetto defense was not helped by a 0-0 draw with Inter, meaning that they not only have won just two games all season but still sit in the bottom half of the table. Meanwhile, die Fohlen have yet to pick up a win in European action, but under the tutelage of interim coach André Schubert, they appear to have turned a new corner in the Bundesliga and have won their past four games in a row - all after losing their first five.
Juventus
To put it simply, Juventus this season can be best described as a Dr. Jekyll vs. Mr. Hyde situation. They are still struggling to even get into the top ten and have found it tough against teams like Chievo, a side they usually had no trouble with in prior seasons and a frustrating scoreless stalemate in Sunday's Derby d'Italia certainly will not do Massimiliano Allegri any favors.
However, in Europe, it's an entirely new team as they defeated English powerhouse Manchester City and overpowered reigning Europa League winners Sevilla to take top spot in Group D. Based on that form, they will be expected to earn maximum points against Borussia Mönchengladbach to put themselves in pole position to qualify for the round of 16, but fans will surely be concerned about their team's poor domestic form, nonetheless.
Currently, la Vecchia Signora are one of six teams - including Bayern Munich, PSG, and Zenit, among others - to have won their first two matches. They also boast a formidable home record in European competition, with die Roten being the last team to depart Turin with a victory back in April 2013, and since then, have gone 14 matches sans defeat. Unfortunately, this does not apply to Serie A matches so far this season, but supporters will hope that the "other" Juve shows up later today to further widen the gap between them and fellow challengers Manchester City and Sevilla - who will also be featuring tonight.
Tonight will not be the first meeting between the Bianconeri and die Fohlen; the two sides clashed during the second round of the 1975/1976 European Champion Clubs' Cup - the precedessor to today's UCL - which finished as a 4-2 aggregate win in favor of the German side. All in all, Juventus have a home record of 14 wins, two draws, and five losses against German teams and will be fancying their chances after downing Dortmund 5-1 on aggregate during last season's round of 16.
In terms of personnel, Allegri will be pleased to have most of his squad available, with previously injured players including Paul Pogba, Alvaro Morata, Sami Khedira, and Mario Mandzukic all featuring in some capacity against Inter. Notable absentees will be Martin Caceres, who is struggling with an ankle injury, and Stephan Lichtsteiner, who is still recovering following heart surgery. Of concern will be the fitness of star keeper Gigi Buffon, who suffered a calf injury during the draw with the Nerazzurri, and it remains to be seen whether the veteran features or deputy Neto is called into action.
Meanwhile, Morata, who has scored in his last five Champions League matches dating back to last season, has now tied legendary striker Alessandro Del Piero's record, and the young Spanish international will be certainly keen to make it six against Borussia Mönchengladbach tonight.
Borussia Mönchengladbach
After the resignation of Lucien Favre, André Schubert was appointed in his stead, and what a difference it has made for die Fohlen. The new coach is the first man to ever win three - let alone four - straight matches in the club's history and will be hoping that his squad, fresh off thrashing Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 will carry some of that positive momentum into tonight's game. With zero points, the visitors will need to earn at least a draw to have any hope of even qualifying for the Europa League, although, of course, a win would be even sweeter.
Like Allegri, Schubert will have most of his players available, save for injured trio Patrick Herrmann, captain Martin Stranzl, and Nico Schulz. Meanwhile, young defender Marvin Schulz - no relation to Nico - is suffering from illness and is not likely to be able to recover in time for this match.
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As things stand, a look at this table show that things appear to be firmly in favor of tonight's hosts. Despite having beaten Juventus nearly 40 years ago Borussia Mönchengladbach do not have an encouraging record against Italian sides - whether at home or away. Their last trip to Italy during the 2012/2013 Europa League round of 32 ended in a 2-0 defeat (5-3 on aggregate) versus Lazio, and overall their away record stands as two wins, one draw, and three losses. At home, they have won two and drawn four, so the odds for tonight's game do not look good for die Fohlen.
So, despite their domestic struggles, will the Bianconeri keep up their perfect European record? Or will a recently resurgent Borussia Mönchengladbach finally get their first win?
Serie A and Bundesliga fans won't want to miss out on this one, and as always, LiveSoccerTV.com has you covered. Make sure you bookmark our special Juventus vs. Borussia Moenchengladbach page for all specific viewing times and options for wherever you call home.
Team sheets for Juventus vs Borussia M'gladbach
Juventus' lineup:Buffon, Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini, Alex Sandro, Khedira, Marchisio, Pogba, Cuadrado, Mandzukic, Morata.
Borussia's lineup:Sommer, Christensen, Dahoud, Raffael, Stindl, Dominguez, Traoré, Wendt, Johnson, Korb, Xhaka.
Juventus' subs: Neto, Rugani, Evra, Hernanes, Pereyra, Dybala, Zaza.
Borussia's subs: To follow.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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