Juventus are in Portugal this evening to face Porto in the last 16 of the Champions League. Following a 4-1 home victory Friday against Palermo that keeps Juventus top of Serie A, coach Max Allegri now shifts his attention to the coveted Champions League. Porto coach Nuno Espirito Santo welcomes the Italians with an impressive series of results. The Dragoes have compiled six consecutive victories, and they haven’t lost since January 3rd. Fans anxiously await whether this will be a high scoring affair similar to the Bayern or PSG ties last week or a slower tense match more typical of Serie A teams. 

 

Nuno Espirito Santo typically plays 4-4-2 with a group of highly talented young players with enormous potential. The Porto coach enters the match with a full squad at his disposal. The key figure for the hosts is their talisman Andre Silva who has scored 18 goals in all competitions. In the midfield, experienced Mexican international Hector Herrera pulls the strings, and will have an interesting challenge against the depth and quality of the Bianconeri. Porto faithful always relish a Champions League match, and the Estadio do Dragao can be an intimidating away venue. Porto have only lost one home match here (Leicester) so far this season.

 

Max Allegri enters the Porto tie without Andrea Barzagli and with serious question marks over Giorgio Chiellini's fitness. The Italian tactician's most controversial decision of the season so far, to omit Leonardo Bonucci after the two men were involved in an altercation at the end of last weeks home win against Palermo, has stunned many observers as Moroccan Medhi Benatia deputises in the centre, flanked by Alex Sandro on the left and either Dani Alves or Lichtsteiner on the right. 

More questions arrive in the double pivot role where Allegri must choose two players among Khedira, Marchisio, and Pjanic (fitness depending). The front four that have been the key men in Juventus’ run of victories will likely remain unchanged with Dybala playing directly behind Higuain alongside Mandzukic and Cuadrado. The Argentine duo are both in hot form; Dybala has two goals and two assists in the last two games and Higuain has added four in the last three games to take his league tally to 19.

 

 

Nearly a month ago, Allegri was coming off a miserable loss to Fiorentina and about to face Milan in the Coppa Italia quarter final when he decided to make a change. The switch was in formation to a 4-2-3-1 allowing the Old Lady to play with four forwards.. Following the change Allegri and his players have put together an impressive run of seven victories, including ones against Milan, Lazio, and Inter.

The Juve tactician has a keen sense of when and how to make the necessary change. Thinking back to the switch from 3-5-2 to 4-4-2 that allowed four midfielder's (Pirlo,Marchisio,Pogba and Vidal) to play together, Allegri knows how to get the right combination of players on the field. This is what sets him apart from Conte and perhaps what propelled the Bianconeri to the Champions League final against Barcelona in 2015. Since then club has invested large sums of money to get Higuain, Dybala, and company. Considering how difficult Juve are to play against at the J Stadium, away goals from key players will be heavily relied upon to progress in the competition.

 

Probable Starting Line ups:
 

Porto (4-4-2) Casillas; Pereira, Felipe, Marcano, Telles; Corona, Herrera, Neves, Ottavio; Silva, Soares
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Juventus (4-2-3-1) Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Benatia, Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Pjanic, Khedira; Cuadrado, Dybala, Mandzukic; Higuain
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David Baleno