The first leg of a Champions League tie is a match that can set a tone in a big way, but it’s also important for both teams to stay in control and not let the day get away from them. That’s certainly going to be the case for Juventus and Porto in this match in Portugal, and by all appearances both teams are setting themselves up to stay as true to themselves and their strengths as they can.
Juventus vs. Porto: starting lineups and team news
Juventus are without Leonardo Bonucci as they look to take an advantage from this first leg of their tie against Porto.
Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images
Porto are definitely set up a bit more defensively than normal, but still in such a way that they can attack when the opportunity presents itself, and unleash nasty counters when Juventus lose the ball. It’s not fancy, but it looks like it could be effective if Juventus lose their focus at all.
Juventus, on the other hand, are set up almost exactly as they normally have of late, with a rapid-fire and lethal attack set up over their typically stout defense. Max Allegri made waves this week when he dropped stalwart defender Leonardo Bonucci, though, leaving some to wonder if Juventus’ focus in the right place. Of course, Andrea Barzagli is hardly a poor replacement, so the bianconeri will likely be just fine.
FC Porto starting lineup (4-1-3-2): Iker Casillas; Maxi Pereira, Felipe, Ivan Marcano, Alex Telles; Danilo; Hector Herrera, Ruben Neves, Yacine Brahimi; Andre Silva, Tiquinho
Juventus starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Gianluigi Buffon; Stephan Lichtsteiner, Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini, Alex Sandro; Sami Khedira, Miralem Pjanic; Juan Cuadrado, Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic; Gonzalo Higuain
See More:
