Last season, Barcelona were stunned and knocked out of the Champions League in shocking fashion by Juventus, but this season they humbled their Italian foes in their group stage opener. That result showed everyone that Barcelona’s hot start to the season was for real — and it set off alarm bells in Turin that are still ringing today.
Juventus vs. Barcelona 2017 live stream: Time, TV channel, and how to watch Champions League online
Juventus are hoping to get a better result than the thrashing they received at Barcelona’s hands earlier in the group.
Barcelona have hardly dropped any points at this stage of the season, just two in La Liga and two in the Champions League all campaign long. They’ve overcome injuries all over the pitch to steamroll almost everyone they’ve faced, not losing a single game since their Spanish SuperCup disappointment that started off the season.
Juventus, meanwhile, have looked surprisingly vulnerable all year long. After years of dominating Serie A, they currently sit in third place in Italy’s top division, four points out of first place thanks in part to a shocking 3-2 loss at the hands of Sampdoria, a loss that only looks as close as it was thanks to two stoppage-time goals scored by the Old Lady.
The root of the Italians’ struggles has been in their defense, a once-vaunted unit that’s been a shell of it’s former self this season. That’s thanks to the defection of Leonardo Bonucci and the unfortunate ravages of age for Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli, coupled with largely disappointing performances by other parts of their defensive unit, especially the likes of Mattia De Sciglio, Medhi Benatia, and Stephan Lichtsteiner.
Whatever the cause, Juventus’ defensive issues can’t be explained by injuries, as aside from a couple lingering knocks here and there they’re virtually in perfect health. Barcelona, though, are dealing with many more injury woes all across the pitch — Sergi Roberto, Javier Mascherano, Ousmane Dembele, Rafinha, Arda Turan, and Andre Gomes are all expected to remain out of the squad for this match.
Match info, plus how to watch on TV and stream
Match Date/Time: Wednesday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy
TV: FS1 (U.S. - English), ESPN Deportes (U.S. - Spanish), PremiumSport HD (Italy), beIN Sports, Movistar+ (Spain)
Online: Fox Soccer Match Pass, Fox Sports Go, ESPN3, WatchESPN (U.S.), Premium Play (Italy), beIN Sports Connect España (Spain)
Make friends: Check out Black And White And Read All Over for more Juventus coverage, and head over to Barca Blaugranes to learn more about Barcelona.
Listings for more countries can be found at LiveSoccerTV.
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