Uefa Champions League
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - 2018/19 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Juventus Stadium - Turin Wednesday 7 November 2018 21.00CET (21.00 local time) Juventus Group H - Matchday 4 Manchester United FC Last updated 06/11/2018 03:15CET UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE OFFICIAL SPONSORS Match background 2 Legend 5 1 Juventus - Manchester United FC Wednesday 7 November 2018 - 21.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit Juventus Stadium, Turin Match background Juventus welcome old rivals Manchester United to Turin for the first time since 2003 needing just a point to make sure of reaching the round of 16 for the fifth year in a row. • Paulo Dybala's 17th-minute goal at Old Trafford on matchday three proved enough for Juve to make it three wins out of three in Group H – establishing a five-point cushion over second-placed United. • Juventus will therefore be through if they avoid defeat on matchday four, and confirmed in first place if they win. United can ill afford a second defeat, meanwhile, with Valencia two points behind and Young Boys a point further back. Previous meetings • Before matchday three, the most recent of the sides' 12 past contests came in the 2002/03 second group stage, when United won both games – 2-1 in Manchester and 3-0 in Turin. Both sides would progress to the quarter-finals, but while that was where United's campaign ended, Juve went all the way to the final, losing on penalties to AC Milan back at Old Trafford. • Prior to losing on matchday three, United had won the last three matches between the clubs – a run that started with a famous comeback in the semi-final second leg of their victorious 1998/99 campaign. After a 1-1 draw in England, Juve looked set to reach the final thanks to Filippo Inzaghi's early double in Turin, but United hit back to win 3-2 on the night and 4-3 on aggregate, going on to beat Bayern München in dramatic circumstances in the final. • The teams met eight times between 1996 and 2003, all in the UEFA Champions League. Juventus won three of the first four in that sequence (L1) but were without a win in four (D1 L3) prior to this season's victory. Juve also won the first four matches between the clubs in Turin, but have lost the last two. • Overall Juve have six wins to United's five with two draws – the Bianconeri scoring 16 goals, one more than their English rivals. Form guide Juventus • The Bianconeri are still to concede in Group H having won all three games; only Borussia Dortmund, in Group A, have also kept three clean sheets in this season's competition. Juve overcame the first-half dismissal of former United forward Cristiano Ronaldo to win 2-0 at Valencia on matchday one, Miralem Pjanić scoring both goals from the penalty spot. A Dybala hat-trick sealed a 3-0 defeat of Young Boys in Turin on matchday two. • Juventus claimed their seventh successive Serie A title in 2017/18, and are in the UEFA Champions League group stage for the 19th time overall. They last failed to reach the round of 16 in 2013/14. • In last season's UEFA Champions League, Juve finished second to Barcelona in their section before ousting Tottenham in the round of 16 (2-2 home, 2-1 away). Their season looked to be over when they went down 3-0 at home to Real Madrid in the quarter-final first leg – a repeat of the 2017 final, won 4-1 by the Spanish side – only for Juve to score three times in the return. Ronaldo, however, had the last word against his current club, converting a penalty deep into added time to end Juve's campaign. • That Madrid defeat ended Juve's 27-game unbeaten home run in UEFA competition (W16 D11), dating back to a 2-0 reverse against Bayern in April 2013. Those are their only two European defeats in 34 matches at the Juventus Stadium (W20 D12). • Juve picked up seven points at home in last season's group stage, beating Olympiacos 2-0 and Sporting CP 2-1 and drawing with Barcelona (0-0) and then Tottenham. However, the Young Boys win on matchday one this season ended a three-match run without a win in Turin (D2 L1). • Juve are on a nine-match (W5 D4) unbeaten run against Premier League clubs, winning five of the last six. United's 2003 win in Turin was Juve's last home defeat against English opponents; their record since is W3 D5. • Winners in 1985 and 1996, Juventus have played in nine European Cup finals – losing a record seven, including all of their last five. Manchester United • Having eased to a 3-0 victory at debutants Young Boys on matchday one, United were held to a goalless home draw by Valencia in their second fixture. • The Juve fixture means United have failed to score in two successive European games for the first time since matchdays five and six of the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League. They have not gone three European games without a goal since 2005/06, when they drew a blank on matchdays three, four and five. 2 Juventus - Manchester United FC Wednesday 7 November 2018 - 21.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit Juventus Stadium, Turin • Second in last season's Premier League, United are in the group stage for the second year running and the 22nd time overall – fewer only than the 23 participations of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Porto. • José Mourinho's side finished top of their section in 2017/18 ahead of Basel, CSKA Moskva and Benfica, but then bowed out in the first knockout round, losing 2-1 on aggregate to Sevilla (0-0 away, 1-2 home) in the last 16. • The Red Devils have lost four of their last 23 European matches, home and away (W14 D5). • United have lost only one of their last ten European away games (W6 D3), conceding just four goals during that period and never more than one in any match. • The English club are unbeaten in their last four away games against Italian clubs (W2 D2), the most recent a 3-2 win at AC Milan in the 2009/10 UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg (7-2 aggregate). The matchday three reverse against Juve ended United's eight-match unbeaten run (W6 D2) against Serie A sides, home and away, since a 3-0 loss at Milan in the 2006/07 semi-final second leg. Links and trivia • Cristiano Ronaldo was a Manchester United player between 2003 and 2009, scoring in the club's victory in the 2008 UEFA Champions League final – although he also had a penalty saved in the shoot-out. He won three Premier League titles, the FA Cup and two English League Cups, scoring 118 goals in 292 appearances for United. • Paul Pogba left United for Juventus in 2012, returning to Manchester in 2016. He scored 28 goals in 124 Serie A games for Juve, winning the Scudetto in each of his four seasons and appearing in the 2015 UEFA Champions League final. • José Mourinho was coach of Internazionale Milano between 2008 and 2010, winning two Serie A titles and the UEFA Champions League in 2009/10 to complete the treble. His record against Juve as Inter coach was W3 D1 L1. • Mourinho was coach of Ronaldo and Sami Khedira at Real Madrid between 2010 and 2013, and Juan Cuadrado at Chelsea in 2015. • Have also played in Italy: Matteo Darmian (Milan 2006–09, Padova 2009/10, Palermo 2010/11, Torino 2011–15) Alexis Sánchez (Udinese 2008–11) Sergio Romero (Sampdoria 2011–13 & 2014/15) • Have also played in England: Wojciech Szczęsny (Arsenal 2009–15, Brentford 2009/10 loan) Emre Can (Liverpool 2014–18) Juan Cuadrado (Chelsea 2015) • Have played together: Medhi Benatia & Alexis Sánchez (Udinese 2010/11) Wojciech Szczęsny & Alexis Sánchez (Arsenal 2014/15) João Cancelo & Victor Lindelöf (Benfica 2012–14) Juan Cuadrado & Nemanja Matić (Chelsea 2015) Douglas Costa & Fred (Shakhtar 2013–15) • International team-mates: Blaise Matuidi & Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial (France) Paulo Dybala & Marcos Rojo, Sergio Romero (Argentina) Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Barzagli, Federico Bernardeschi, Mattia De Sciglio, Mattia Perin, Daniele Rugani & Matteo Darmian (Italy) Alex Sandro, Douglas Costa & Fred, Andreas Pereira (Brazil) • Pogba scored in France's FIFA World Cup final victory against Croatia in July, Mario Mandžukić scoring both a goal and an own goal for Croatia. Blaise Matuidi was also in the France line-up. • Mandžukić scored the extra-time winner in Croatia's semi-final against an England side featuring Jesse Lingard, Ashley Young and Marcus Rashford. • Ronaldo scored a hat-trick past David de Gea as Spain and Portugal drew 3-3 in the World Cup group stage. Latest news Juventus • Alex Sandro and Andrea Barzagli made their 50th UEFA Champions League appearances on matchday three. • Juve's winning start to the season was ended by a 1-1 home draw against Genoa on 20 October, the first Serie A game they had failed to win since 13 May. 3 Juventus - Manchester United FC Wednesday 7 November 2018 - 21.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit Juventus Stadium, Turin • Juventus had previously won ten out of ten in all competitions this season – setting a new mark for their best start, surpassing the eight successive wins at the start of 1930/31. • The Genoa draw is the only time Juve have failed to score two goals or more in Serie A this season.