It's a coincidence that Galatasaray are heading to Italy in their first match since Roberto Mancini was appointed as Fatih Terim's replacement, though it remains to be seen whether the Italian will actually take charge of first-team affairs for Gala's Champions League trip to Turin on Wednesday. It's possible that so soon after his appointment Mancini will leave things up to goalkeeping coach Cláudio Taffarel, rather than jumping in at the deep end against Juventus.
Juventus vs. Galatasaray: Preview and TV schedule
Juventus host a stuttering Galatasaray in the Champions League on Wednesday, in Gala’s first game since Roberto Mancini’s appointment.
More from our team blogs: Juventus blog Black & White & Read All Over
Picking up anything from this match will be a tough task for Galatasaray. Not only have they had a tricky start to the season and won just one of their opening five league games, but they travel to play unquestionably the best team in Italy over the last couple of seasons. Antonio Conte's bianconeri are workmanlike but have proved to be extremely effective, and are comfortable favourites heading in -- despite being held to a 1-1 draw away in Copenhagen in their opening group game.
Conte only has a couple of rotation players unavailable through injury, with the absences of Simone Pepe and Martín Cáceres unlikely to cause sleepless nights. Gala have a couple of bigger concerns, with Hamit Altıntop omitted from the squad through injury and Wesley Sneijder facing a race against time to recover from a muscle strain.
Juventus injuries and suspensions
Out: Simone Pepe (thigh), Martín Cáceres (knee). In doubt: None.
Galatasaray injuries and suspensions
Out: Hamit Altıntop. In doubt: Wesley Sneijder (muscle).
Projected lineups
Juventus: Gianluigi Buffon; Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli; Kwadwo Asamoah, Paul Pogba, Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, Stephan Lichtsteiner; Carlos Tévez, Mirko Vučinić
Galatasaray: Fernando Muslera; Albert Riera, Dany Nounkeu, Aurélien Chedjou, Emmanuel Eboué; Nordin Amrabat, Selçuk İnan, Felipe Melo; Wesley Sneijder; Burak Yılmaz, Didier Drogba
Match Date/Time: Wednesday, 8:45 p.m. local, 2:45 p.m. ET
Venue: Juventus Stadium, Turin, Italy
TV: Fox Sports Net (U.S.), Sportsnet 360 (Canada), Premium Calcio, Sky Calcio 1, Sport Mediaset LIVE (Italy), Smart Spor (Turkey)
Online: Fox Soccer 2Go (U.S.), Sportsnet World Online (Canada)
More in Soccer:
See More:
