Italian champions Juventus haven’t exactly enjoyed a perfect continental campaign this season, having been beaten by both Olympiacos and Atlético Madrid in their first four Champions League group games. That’s left them down in third place heading into the fifth matchday, when they will be looking to record a victory away at bottom club Malmö. Failure to win in this match could have disastrous consequences for the bianconeri -- particularly if Olympiacos pick up points against Atléti in the other game.
Malmö vs. Juventus, 2014 UEFA Champions League: Time, TV schedule and game preview
Juventus will look to move closer to booking their place in the Champions League knockout phase with a win over Malmö on Wednesday.
The good news for Juventus is that they should be able to win pretty comfortably. They won 2-0 in the reverse fixture in Turin, while Atléti have put a combined total of seven goals past the Swedish champions in their two meetings. Malmö will almost certainly set up as defensively as possible, but it's hard to imagine them keeping a team containing Carlos Tevez and Paul Pogba from finding the back of the net.
Key player - Carlos Tevez (Juventus)
If Juventus are having problems breaking a defence down, they can often rely on Carlos Tevez to help them. The Argentine attacker is brilliant with the ball at his feet, capable of darting straight through defences with a brilliant burst of pace. In a game in which Malmö are going to play as defensively as possible, it could well be up to Tevez to make the breakthrough.
Key matchup - The midfield battle
Juventus are a pretty strong team all over the field, but nowhere more so than in the midfield. With marauding box-to-box players like Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal capable of using brute force to barge their way into the final third, the bianconeri are a very difficult team to keep quiet. There's every chance they'll be able to dominate in the centre of the park, and win comfortably.
Malmö injuries and suspensions
Out: None. In doubt: Anton Tinnerholm (calf), Robin Olsen, Erik Johansson (thigh).
Juventus injuries and suspensions
Out: Martín Cáceres (thigh), Andrea Barzagli (heel). In doubt: Patrice Evra, Kwadwo Asamoah (muscle), Angelo Ogbonna (thigh).
Malmö are sweating on the fitness of three first team regulars, with starting goalkeeper Robin Olsen and defenders Anton Tinnerholm and Erik Johansson all doubtful. Juve will certainly be without central defenders Martín Cáceres and Andrea Barzagli, though centre-back Angelo Ogbonna and wing-backs Patrice Evra and Kwadwo Asamoah could be involved.
Match Date/Time: Wednesday, 8:45 p.m. local, 2:45 p.m. ET
Venue: Swedbank Stadion, Malmö, Sweden
TV: Fox Soccer Plus, Directv (U.S.), Mediaset Italia (Canada - Italian), Sky Sports Red Button (U.K.), TV6 Sweden, Viasat Xtra 2 (Sweden), Canale 5 (Italy)
Online: Fox Soccer 2Go, ESPN3 Online-App (U.S.), Sportsnet World Now (Canada), Viaplay (Sweden), Sky Go Italia (Italy)
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