How Juventus could put Man United in danger of Champions League qualification
- Nikita Fesyukov
Juventus currently sit first in the group with 6 points out of 6. They have scored 5 goals and conceded zero in their matches against Valencia and Young Boys. Meanwhile, Manchester United have also yet to concede, but their performances have not been convincing and the 0-0 draw at the Old Trafford against Valencia only confirms it.
The following two matches against Juventus will be crucial for Jose Mourinho’s side. That is, if the Portuguese manager survives on the Red Devils’ bench until the first matchup. On October 23, United will host the Italian Champions at home and then two weeks later the English team will travel to the Allianz Stadium to try and salvage some points.
As of now, however, it seems that it is just a formality. Juventus have won 7 out of 7 Serie A matches so far this season and, as mentioned, are playing with the same confidence even in the Champions League.
Manchester United, on the contrary, are struggling, and sit in 10th place in the Premier League, already losing 3 matches out of 7 this season. The draw against Valencia yesterday just proved the poor form as well as the unconvincing game plan.
In the event that United lose both matches against the Bianconeri and Valencia manage to prevail over Young Boys twice, the Spanish side would be 3 points ahead. In the event of one draw for the English team, the gap would be 2 points with two matches to go.
This is all still quite hypothetical, but as things stand, Manchester United do not look like a team that will steal points from Juventus. At the same time, Valencia winning all 6 points against Young Boys is not a guarantee, rather just a very likely outcome.
But if the likelihood of both these scenarios reflects reality, United could be in big trouble and at risk of having to play the Europa League in the second half of the season, which would definitely not be a desirable outcome for the English giants.