After a hiatus, the Champions League has finally returned, and with it come some pretty interesting round of 16 fixtures.
Arguably, Juventus vs. Tottenham is certainly going to be one of them. Both teams are eager to really make a name for themselves on the European stage this season, but will have to find a way around each other in what is set to be a tantalizing two-legged clash contested in Turin and London.
For Juventus, it's been an interesting - and at times, painful - climb back to the summit after their demotion to Serie B back in 2006. La Vecchia Signora have come a long way since then, and have featured in two finals in the past three seasons, only to be stopped twice by La Liga opposition. Massimiliano Allegri's men are hoping to avoid a repeat of that this time around, but first will have to successfully navigate through 180 minutes of tough action against a Tottenham side boasting one of the most in-form strikers in world football: Harry Kane.
To better figure out how Juve's chances look against a Spurs side who have been really impressive this term - after all, they put on an excellent show to earn a well-deserved 3-1 win over Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid in the group stages earlier this campaign - let's have a look at La Vecchia Signora's overall record against Premier League sides.
A strong overall home record...
Juventus's home record, of course, is well known. The Bianconeri are unbeaten in 26 European home matches, with wins in 16 of those.
...while Tottenham have struggled in Italy
Meanwhile, Tottenham don't have the best record in Italy, with just one win in their last eight games (W1 D3 L4). However, Tottenham collected a whopping 16 points from the knockout rounds, which is more than any other team did this season.
Juventus's last English opponent was...
Manchester City.
Tottenham may fear traveling to Turin because...
Their fellow London giants, Chelsea, famously struggled here. On November 20, 2012, the Bianconeri, who then were under the tutelage of Antonio Conte, crushed the Blues 3-0 at Juventus Stadium (now known as the Allianz Stadium) to effectively end the then-reigning Champions League title holders' chances of defending their crown.
Overall, La Vecchia Signora's English record stands as...
16 wins, 13 draws, 15 defeats. That includes all Champions Leagues, Europa Leagues, and all other precursor tournaments before the existence of the two modern day competitions. This dates back to Juve's first meeting with Liverpool on September 29, 1965 in the UEFA Cup Winner's Cup which the Bianconeri won 1-0.
Liverpool did get their revenge, though, as they beat Juve 1-0 in the 1984/1985 European Cup final on May 29,1985.
But there are some concerns...
When it comes to two-legged ties for Juventus against English clubs, their record is W5 L8. Furthermore, Juventus have lost the last five ties, with their most recent loss being against Fulham in the 2009/2010 Europa League on the road after winning 3-1 at home.
By contrast, Tottenham, despite their struggles in Italy, do boast a pretty strong record in two-legged ties against Italian opponents. Their record stands as W4 L1.
DID YOU KNOW:
This will be the first ever meeting between Juventus and Tottenham in a UEFA club competition.
