Champions League Preview: Juventus vs Stuttgart – Team News, Line-ups & Prediction | OneFootball

Brimming with confidence after another domestic triumph, Juventus turn to their UEFA Champions League commitments as Bundesliga strugglers Stuttgart touch down at the Allianz Stadium on Tuesday. The stage looks all but set for Bianconeri’s third European victory in as many matches under new manager Thiago Motta.

Juventus left it late to beat 10-man Lazio 1-0 last Saturday. Motta’s team needed Mario Gila’s 85th-minute own goal to halt an underwhelming run of three consecutive home league draws. The record-time Serie A champions defied a numerical disadvantage in a come-from-behind 3-2 Champions League win at RB Leipzig last time out.

Despite their inconsistency in front of goal in Serie A, Juventus are firing on all cylinders in Europe. Before scooping up three precious points on German soil, they hammered PSV Eindhoven 3-1 in Turin to kick off their first Champions League campaign since 2022/23. With out-of-sorts Stuttgart rolling into town, optimism is sky-high among Juve supporters.

In addition to being thrashed by fellow Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich 4-0 at the weekend, the visitors have stuttered at the beginning of their first European campaign in over a decade. Following a 3-1 thumping at the hands of Real Madrid on matchday one, Sebastian Hoeness’ side could only manage a 1-1 home draw against Sparta Prague in the last round.

Marred by a dismal four-game winless run in all competitions (D3, L1), Die Schwaben seem incapable of pulling off an upset against in-form Juventus. But that doesn’t mean the Italian giants can afford to underestimate their opposition.

Match Preview

Juventus

As aforementioned, Juventus have got their Champions League journey off to a flyer. However, they failed to keep a clean sheet against Leipzig and PSV, something they’ve not got used to in Serie A since Motta replaced Massimiliano Allegri at the helm.

A narrow win against Lazio solidified their sterling defensive record of just one goal conceded in the opening eight league rounds. Therefore, Juventus remain the best defensive side in Europe’s traditional top-five leagues. But another shutout isn’t a foregone conclusion.

That’s because seven of their last eight Champions League fixtures have seen both teams score. Juventus fans probably wouldn’t mind seeing their side concede as far as they make it six consecutive victories against German opponents in major European competitions.

If Motta’s men can achieve that feat, they’d swing their evenly-poised home record in all competitions this term into their favor (W3, D3).

Stuttgart

As much as Stuttgart would like to hamper Juventus’ momentum, they’re hardly in a position to upset the apple cart in Turin. Winless on their last three competitive road trips (D1, L2), Hoeness’ charges conceded an alarming nine goals during that sequence, capitulating multiple times on each occasion.

On top of their disheartening away form, Stuttgart’s overall European record against Italian clubs looks abysmal. They’ve only won once in their 11 previous encounters against Serie A finest (D4, L6), getting the better of Juventus’ crosstown rivals Torino in the UEFA Cup over four decades ago.

Chances are their disastrous form against Italian teams will worsen come Tuesday night, not least because of Stuttgart’s poor return of three wins from their last 19 Champions League matches (D6, L10). Yet, with four of their five competitive fixtures in the build-up to this trip ending level, it stands to reason they won’t go down without a fight.

Team News

Juventus will be without several first-team stars tomorrow. Michele Di Gregorio is unavailable after picking up a red against Leipzig. Gleison Bremer, Nicolas Gonzalez, Teun Koopmeiners, and Arkadiusz Milik are out injured, with Paul Pogba still on the sidelines due to a long-term ban.

As for Stuttgart, Dan-Axel Zagadou, Justin Diehl, Luca Raimund, Leonidas Stergiou, Nikolas Nartey, and Chris Fuhrich will not take this trip with the rest of the team. But with Deniz Undav and Jamie Leweling fit and firing, the visitors still look threatening.

Juventus vs Stuttgart Potential Starting XI

Juventus (4-2-3-1): Mattia Perin; Nicolo Savona, Pierre Kalulu, Federico Gatti, Juan Cabal; Manuel Locatelli, Nicolo Fagioli; Andrea Cambiaso, Kenan Yildiz, Samuel Mbangula; Dusan Vlahovic.

Stuttgart (4-2-3-1): Alexander Nubel; Pascal Stenzel, Anthony Rouault, Jeff Chabot, Maximilian Mittelstadt; Atakan Karazor, Angelo Stiller; Enzo Millot, Deniz Undav, Jamie Leweling; Ermedin Demirovic.

Juventus vs Stuttgart Prediction

Several high-profile absences in the home camp could give Stuttgart an unexpected opportunity to end Juventus’ 14-game unbeaten home streak. However, we still have confidence in Motta’s charges to take care of business on Tuesday and extend their super home form with a win.