Ronaldo’s Juventus start its Champions League campaign with a round-of-16 clash against Porto tonight. Juventus finished at the top in its respective group, while Porto made into the knockout stage with the second spot in its respective group.
Match Timings: Feb 18, 1:30 AM IST
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Two champion sides from Portugal and Italy will battle out in the first-leg encounter in the round-of-16 of Champions League 2020-21. Ronaldo is back in his country and we will see him playing against a Portuguese club. The Juventus star would eye the sixth European title this season. Juventus are almost out of the contention in Italy’s top-flight and this season, Serie A will see a new winner. The Italian club are 8 points behind Inter Milan and sitting at fourth in the table. If the current form continues, we can find Juventus playing in Europa League next season. Lazio and Napoli are also coming closer to reigning champions. Ronaldo has played with Porto’s defender Pepe and both will be seen in action this Euro 2021. Alex Sandro and Danilo have also played for Porto in the past and won two titles for the club.
Juventus are entering into this fixture without a win in its previous two matches. They failed to score in both games. Inter Milan held them for a goalless draw in the Coppa Italia's second-leg semifinal and Napoli edged past them 1-0 in Serie A clash. Juventus can aim for silverware later in May when they will play Atalanta in the final of Coppa Italia. The aggregate success was a happy moment for Juventus but the defeat against Napoli hurt them more. The defense has been superb with conceding just two goals in their last eight games in all competitions. Juventus are appearing in the knock-out stage of this competition for the seventh successive year and are unbeaten in its last five matches against Porto.
Meanwhile, the Portuguese club will face a huge task at home when they host Juventus on Wednesday night. Porto hasn’t conceded a goal at home in the Champions League this season. Dragon are now unbeaten in the last five matches in European competition. They finished second behind Man City in Group C and made into the round of 16 for the fourth straight time. Sergio Conceicao's side are still searching for the three points from the last three matches at domestic top-flight. Porto are also on the verge of losing the title this season. The Dragons are 10-points behind Sporting in Primeira Liga 2020-21. They have lost just one game in the last 25 league games and the defeat came against Sporting last month. Juventus had the last laugh when both sides met at this stage with keeping the clean sheet but Porto look favourites at home.
Possible Lineups & Current Form
Porto
Marchesin; Manafa, Mbemba, Pepe, Sarr; Corona, Oliviera, Uribe; Diaz, Marega, Taremi
Current Form: W W D D D D
Previous Match: 2-2 draw with Boavista (Primeira Liga)
Juventus
Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Chiesa, Bentancur, Rabiot, McKennie; Ronaldo, Morata
Current Form: W W W W D L
Previous Match: 1-0 defeat to Napoli (Serie A)
Key Players
Porto
Oliveira
11 goals in Primeira Liga 2020-21
Mehdi Taremi
11 goals in Primeira Liga 2020-21
Juventus
Christiano Ronaldo
16 goals in Serie A 2020-21
Federico Chiesa
5 goals in Serie A 2020-21
