Two teams that are looking quite impressive so far in their respective leagues are Italian side Juventus and French side Bordeaux.
Juventus has won three out of three games so far this season with an impressive win over Lazio last weekend. Bordeaux have won four out of five games this year, with the odd game out being a draw to Olympique Marseille on the road.
Even with an impressive record this year, Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc was a little concerned about the play of his players in last weeks game against Grenoble. Many predicted that Bordeaux would steamroll over Ligue 1′s 20th place side, but the game stayed quite tight, and the champions only won by a score of 1-0. “I don’t mean to be picky but we will have to play much better if we want to hope for anything in Turin,” Blanc said after Saturday’s match against Grenoble.
The last time these two teams met was back in 1984/5 in the European Champion Clubs’ Cup semi-finals when Juventus won on a 3-2 aggregate. Since then, Bordeaux has done quite poorly in European cup play.
Juventus has never lost to a French team in Turin before. In nine previous matches, Juventus has won eight and drawn one. Bordeaux have never won in Italy.
But Blanc plans on changing that. Without captain Alessandro Del Piero and playmaker Diego, Bordeaux will look to capitalize on a weaker Juventus. Still, even with these injuries, Blanc understands that this will he a hard fought and physical game. “I’ve been watching Juventus games since the start of the season and I know their style is very physical with a lot of pressing. They will miss Diego, but Juventus have a very strong squad and can call on Sebastian Giovinco instead,” said Blanc.
Unlike Juventus, Bordeaux are 100% healthy, with no players out or injured for the match.
In order for Bordeaux to try to steal a win in Italy, they will have to rely on their big name players in tomorrow’s match. In an interview with Girondins.com, captain Alou Diarra said “everything depends on our starts in this competition. We know that, at this level, it is crucial to have a good start. Do not be overtaken by the two biggest names in European football group, namely Juventus and Bayern Munich. Both clubs have large numbers and a lot of experience in League Championships. For us to be strong, we will have to garner maximum points at home while making “hits” away.”
Another factor might be the play of David Trezegeut. The former French international, who was left for dead by Raymond Domenech, which lead to his retirement from the national team, played an important role in Juventus’ win last week against Lazio, scoring a goal. Many French fans haven’t seen Trezeguet play regularly since his Monaco days. Will he play an important role in defeating Bordeaux? We shall see.
Injuries and suspensions for Juventus
Out: Diego (thigh), Alessandro Del Piero (thigh), Zdeněk Grygera (knee), Mohamed Sissoko (foot), Hasan Salihamidžić (ankle, knee)
Suspended: Giorgio Chiellini (serving second of one-match ban)
There are no injuries or suspensions for Bordeaux.
Filed under: Girondins de Bordeaux, UEFA Champions League Tagged: | Bordeaux, Champions League, David Trezeguet, Juventus, Laurent Blanc
