Juventus will welcome SL Benfica to the Allianz Stadium on Wednesday, with both teams aiming to consolidate a playoff berth.

The playoff berth is a guarantee for Juventus if they can defeat upcoming opponents Benfica in Turin, but there are chances of a late collapse, too. The Bianconeri sit in 17th with nine points on board, although they are only two points off 24th-placed Napoli in the UEFA Champions League standings.

However, they are also three points behind eighth-placed Atletico Madrid, so anything seems to be possible in the final two games of the group phase. Juventus enter this clash fresh off a shock defeat to Serie A strugglers Cagliari, and now they are set to host Benfica, against whom their previous results do not show confidence.

The Italian giants have lost seven of their last nine games against Benfica, including defeats in the three most recent clashes, which will be a worrying stat for Luciano Spalletti to improve on Wednesday. The main aim is to consolidate a playoff berth, but if there is an opportunity, depending on the results of some of the teams in or around the top eight, then Juventus will certainly aim to finish in those automatic places.

Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho returns to Italy with a four-game unbeaten sequence against Italian sides, which includes a win over Napoli earlier in the season in the UEFA Champions League. The experienced manager will also rally his Lisbon-based side to improve their impressive record against Juventus, which reads as seven wins in their last nine meetings.

Currently, SL Benfica sit just a point outside of the top 24, and entering that zone will be Mourinho’s top priority. Not qualifying for the playoffs will be a bit catastrophic for the Portuguese giants, although a big task in the form of Juventus stands in front of them.

Team News & Tactics

Juventus

Luciano Spalletti is set to be without Dusan Vlahovic and Daniele Rugani for this clash with SL Benfica. The former has been an important player for Juventus in the group phases, and they would have been somewhere else in the standings without the Serbian striker’s three goals so far.

However, Spalletti will rely on one of Jonathan David and Lois Openda to produce the goals up front, while Kenan Yildiz is certainly someone he will rely upon heavily. Spalletti will keep hold of a back four as his preferred shape, especially now that key man Gleison Bremer has returned from a long layoff and has been putting in key performances.

Lloyd Kelly could be preferred to start alongside the Brazilian, with Pierre Kalulu and Andrea Cambiaso in the full-back roles. Manuel Locatelli and Kephren Thuram will assume the midfield roles, with Weston McKennie maybe preferred to operate further forward in more of an attacking midfield role. David might get the nod over Openda to lead the line with Yildiz and Francesco Conceicao in the wide areas.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Di Gregorio; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceicao, McKennie, Yildiz; David

SL Benfica

One thing Jose Mourinho will not want from some of his stars is risking missing out on the final group phase game, as Nicolas Otamendi and Dodi Lukebakio are at risk, with the latter likely to miss the trip to Turin with an ankle problem.

Alexander Bah and Richard Rios are the other stars missing from action owing to fitness issues, with the latter being very important in the context of this upcoming game. However, Mourinho will have the majority of his other key stars fit and available for action, including Vangelis Pavlidis, who has 17 league goals this season, but only one in six Champions League games so far this term.

Despite the risk of a suspension in the next game, Mourinho will persist with Otamendi at the back alongside Antonio Silva, while Amar Dedic and Samuel Dahl are the preferred options in the full-back roles.

Leonardo Barreiro and Enzo Barrenechea are likely to be stationed in midfield, with Georgiy Sudakov in the attacking role further ahead. Fredrik Aursnes and Andreas Schjelderup will feature on the wings, with Pavlidis leading the line for Benfica against Juventus.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Trubin; Dedic, Otamendi, Silva, Dahl; Barrenechea, Barreiro; Aursnes, Sudakov, Schjelderup; Pavlidis

Key Stats

• Juventus have recorded only one victory over Benfica in nine meetings.
• Juventus have lost their last three games against Benfica.
• Jose Mourinho is on a four-game unbeaten run against Italian sides.
• Having failed to win any of their first four UEFA Champions League games this season (D3 L1), Juventus have now won their last two. They last won more consecutively between March and November 2021 (5).
• Benfica have won their last two UEFA Champions League games (both 2-0), having lost six in a row before this. They last won three consecutive European Cup games without conceding in the 1989/90 campaign (5).

Player to Watch

Kenan Yildiz

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Luciano Spalletti has improved this Juventus side drastically, and certainly the game of one Yildiz, although the manager will want the Turkish star to take another big step forward. He has four goal contributions in the competition for Juventus, and certainly the biggest threat for Benfica to worry about.

With Juventus’s forwards misfiring this season, and their top scorer Dusan Vlahovic missing from action, the onus is on other stars, particularly Yildiz in this case. Hence, the fans and the manager will rely heavily on the Turkish wonderkid to put in a solid performance and get the team into the next round.

Prediction

Juventus 2-1 SL Benfica

Benfica have got their act together since the arrival of Jose Mourinho, especially at the back, where they have found a newfound defensive stability. That alone will give Benfica some hope of getting a positive result out of Turin, but their opponents are in a better vein of form.

Juventus under Luciano Spalletti are much more improved, and are in the kind of form that could see them see through this goal. While there is the element of improving their overall dreadful record against Benfica, the Bianconeri are likely to take three points in this clash in Turin.