Juventus in search of back-to-back UCL victories in trip to Leipzig.

2024-09-27

As RB Leipzig looks to rebound from their opening day setback, they face the formidable challenge of disrupting Juventus' quest to maintain their strong start in the UEFA Champions League under the lights of the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday night.

RB Leipzig

Despite taking the lead inside the first five minutes on UCL Match Day 1 against Atletico Madrid, Leipzig failed to secure a win, conceding twice. This match marked Leipzig's only defeat in five competitive outings across all competitions [WDLDW], as they recently celebrated a commanding 4-0 victory over Augsburg in the Bundesliga.

Currently holding 3rd place domestically, the Red Bulls find themselves in 25th place in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League, as one of the fifteen sides without a point from the opening day. Leipzig is eager to move past their Match Day 1 defeat as they prepare to face two-time UCL Champions Juventus.

Their role as underdogs might see them end Juve’s four-game winning streak against German teams in major UEFA competitions. "It feels great. Everybody gave their all today. I believe we can play like that against Juventus as well," said Benjamin Šeško, who scored twice in the weekend win over Augsburg. He hopes his side can replicate their domestic form on European soil.

The Slovenian forward is expected to pair up with Loïs Openda, another weekend scorer, in attack as Marco Rose opts for the conventional 4-4-2 formation against Juventus.

Juventus

A 3-0 win against Genoa helped Juventus return to winning ways after three successive goalless draws in Serie A. It was Juve’s second win in five games across all competitions, the first being the opening day UCL win over PSV.

This deserved 3-1 victory over the Dutch side saw Juventus climb into 8th place on the league phase table after Match Day 1. They will be keen to maintain this position at the end of the second day of the revamped competition.

While Thiago Motta is aiming to become the third Juventus manager to win his first two games in the competition, the team has lost four out of the last five UEFA Champions League away games. This includes losing each of the last three in a row, a trend Motta hopes to reverse this Wednesday.

The recently appointed manager used a 4-2-3-1 formation in the weekend game against Genoa and is expected to maintain this shape at the Red Bull Arena. Dušan Vlahović, who scored twice at the weekend, will lead the attack.