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Juventus vs. FC Barcelona: Champions League Match Preview

By Laieke Abebe

Barcelona team (first row LtoR) Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi, Barcelona's Spanish midfielder Sergi Roberto, Barcelona's Spanish midfielder Denis Suarez, Barcelona's Portuguese defender Nelson Semedo, Barcelona's Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez, Barcelona's Spanish defender Jordi Alba (second row LtoR) Barcelona's German goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Barcelona's French defender Samuel Umtiti, Barcelona's Argentinian defender Javier Mascherano, Barcelona's Brazilian midfielder Paulinho and Barcelona's Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets, pose prior to the UEFA Champions League group D football match between FC Barcelona and Olympiakos FC at the Karaiskakis stadium in Piraeus near Athens on October 31, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Louisa GOULIAMAKI (Photo credit should read LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP/Getty Images)
Barcelona team (first row LtoR) Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi, Barcelona's Spanish midfielder Sergi Roberto, Barcelona's Spanish midfielder Denis Suarez, Barcelona's Portuguese defender Nelson Semedo, Barcelona's Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez, Barcelona's Spanish defender Jordi Alba (second row LtoR) Barcelona's German goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, Barcelona's French defender Samuel Umtiti, Barcelona's Argentinian defender Javier Mascherano, Barcelona's Brazilian midfielder Paulinho and Barcelona's Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets, pose prior to the UEFA Champions League group D football match between FC Barcelona and Olympiakos FC at the Karaiskakis stadium in Piraeus near Athens on October 31, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Louisa GOULIAMAKI (Photo credit should read LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP/Getty Images) /
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Two European giants are set to have their return match in the UEFA Champions League group stage as Barcelona goes to Italy to take on Juventus.

Barcelona are set to begin their quest to return to the top of European football once again. The UEFA Champions League group stage continues Wednesday as they go on the road to face Italian giants Juventus. The stars will be out as Barca look to have their spot in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Despite a bad result against Sampdoria, Juventus will still be a tough team to beat especially at home.

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi and legendary Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon are among the big names looking to help their team to victory. However, Buffon comes off of a disappointing end to his legendary career with Italy as they were knocked out of the World Cup by Sweden. Now, he shifts his focus back to Juventus where they sit second in the group behind Barcelona.

Meanwhile, the Blaugrana continue to produce results including a 3-0 away win against Leganes this past weekend. Now, Ernesto Valverde’s men shift to the Champions League where they lead their group and look to book their spot in the next round. If they win or draw at Juventus, they will win the group and advance to the last 16. However, a loss could be damaging depending on the other result between Sporting and Olympiakos.

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In 2015, Barca completed a treble run as they capped it off by beating Juventus in the Champions League final. However, Juventus got revenge last season by knocking Barca out in the quarterfinals. Despite these results, the Blaugrana began this season by dominating Juventus in a 3-0 win at Camp Nou. Now, the Old Lady looks for revenge in the return match in Italy.

As always, both teams come into this match with high expectations. Juventus have been shaky in Serie A play to begin the season, but they’re still a strong team under Massimiliano Allegri. Ernesto Valverde will have a strong team with him, but the schedule gets tough for his men beginning with this game.

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Overall, the match should be very exciting and it will be interesting to see what the game plan for each manager is. Obviously, Barca goes as Lionel Messi goes due to his brilliance. If number 10 plays well, the Blaugrana should be able to get a win against the defending Scudetto winners. However, Gigi Buffon and a strong Juventus defense will have something to say about that. We will see if Barca can continue their great form in Italy.