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The improbable almost occurred when Juventus tackled Benfica needing to claim all three points to keep their Champions League knockout dreams alive, and their bags were being packed when the Portuguese giants roared into a 4-1 lead at the Estadio da Luz.
Two quickfire strikes from Weston McKennie and Arkadiusz Milik just before the 80-minute mark would set up a nail-biting finale, but the Old Lady could not muster up the strength to bag the two further goals they so desperately craved, as their run in Europe’s top tier came to an end.
Not since the 2013-14 season had Juventus failed to make it out of the group stage in the Champions League, but the under-fire Allegri still retains the faith of the powers-that-be as his third-placed side seek to hold off the threat of Maccabi Haifa to qualify for the Europa League.
A three-game winning run with three cleans sheets in Serie A has at least helped to quell some of the murmurs of discontent, with Nicolo Fagioli coming up with the winning goal in a 1-0 triumph at Leece at the weekend, and the Turin headquarters have been kind to Juventus in recent weeks.
Indeed, Allegri’s side welcome PSG to their base having won each of their last three home matches – scoring at least twice in five of their last six games on familiar turf to boot – but they could also become just the second Italian team to lose five group games in a single Champions League campaign, following in the footsteps of 2004-05 Roma.
All three also had to bail PSG out of trouble at the weekend, as they were given quite the scare by Troyes but eventually nicked a 4-3 success at the Parc des Princes – their fourth win on the bounce in all competitions and one which keeps them out of sight at the top of Ligue 1.
PSG and Benfica have been level pegging throughout the group stage, but Galtier’s men simply need to match or better their adversaries’ result on matchday six to qualify as group winners, and their unbeaten run in all competitions now stands at 28 matches.
The French champions have also won each of their last four final group-stage games in the Champions League games – scoring at least four goals each time – and ran out 2-1 winners over Juve earlier this term, but they have never triumphed against the Old Lady away in Europe.
Any hopes that Paul Pogba had of representing France at the World Cup have been extinguished, with the midfielder yet to properly recover from a knee injury and now confirmed to be out of Didier Deschamps‘s squad.
The Old Lady are also set to make do without key striker Dusan Vlahovic due to an adductor injury, while McKennie also picked up a muscular problem in the win over Lecce to add to the Old Lady’s ever-growing crisis. To make matters worse, 19-year-old attacker Matias Soule also appeared to pick up a problem in the dying embers at the weekend.
Marley Ake, Leandro Paredes, Angel Di Maria, Gleison Bremer, Mattia De Sciglio, Federico Chiesa, Samuel Iling-Junior and Kaio Jorge are also out, but Manuel Locatelli should return from personal problems in a much-needed boost for Allegri. Danilo, meanwhile, is suspended for an accumulation of bookings.
In contrast, PSG’s treatment room has been left near-vacant after Danilo Pereira recently made his return to training from a hamstring injury, but Presnel Kimpembe and Keylor Navas have both been ruled out with Achilles and back problems respectively.
Marco Verratti is back from a ban served in the 7-2 success over Maccabi Haifa, but Neymar picked up his third booking of the tournament last week and will miss out here. Pablo Sarabia could therefore come in for a rare start.
Having scored twice in his last two games for PSG, Carlos Soler should hold his place, while Marquinhos, Nuno Mendes, Achraf Hakimi and Fabian Ruiz are also primed to come back into the first XI as Galtier rotates his resources.
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Bonucci, Gatti, Sandro; Cuadrado, Rabiot, Locatelli, Miretti, Kostic; Kean, Milik
Paris Saint-Germain possible starting lineup:
Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Ramos, Mendes; Soler, Verratti, Ruiz; Sarabia, Mbappe, Messi
Paris Saint-Germain have little to nothing to play for and have already guaranteed their participation in the knockouts of the competition. Even if they ring in the changes on the night, there should be enough in the locker to see off Juventus.
Massimilano Allegri’s men aren’t just dealing with a bout of poor form but also an abject list of injuries. Several top players have been ruled out of the game, and Allegri will struggle to put out a side that can match PSG in terms of ability.
The French champions have been lethargic at times in defence, but Juventus lack the players capable of doing that. Allegri might very well have to opt for damage limitation should PSG get off to a fast start.
In a game that boasts of some big names on paper, it is difficult to see the visitors not come away with all three points. Should Maccabi Haifa pick up more points than Juventus on the night, the Israelis will condemn Allegri and co to the bottom spot in the group, knocking them out of Europe altogether.
Pavel Nedved recently commented that Juventus still retain faith in Allegri. Just how long they will persist with the Italian if the humiliation comes to pass remains to be seen.
The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on the night and what tactics they might employ.