Bayern Munich v Juventus, UEFA Champions League: Where to Watch Live, Preview and Teams
Juventus coach Antonio Conte takes the reigning Serie A champions to Germany, to face runaway Bundesliga leaders and last season's finalists, Bayern Munich, in the first leg of a Champions League quarter final tie.
Where to Watch Live
Kick-off is set for 7.45pm BST. Live coverage will be on Sky Sports 2 and Sky Sports 2 HD.
Overview
Bayern Munich qualified for the knock-out rounds after easing through a group containing Spanish side Valencia, French club Lille OSC and Belarusian minnow BATE Borisov. The Germans topped the group with 15 points and as many goals; only Chelsea (16) scored more.
They eliminated Arsenal in the first knock-out round, riding on the back of an emphatic 3-1 win in the first leg, at the Emirates. The Gunners regained some measure of pride after winning the second leg, at the Allianz Arena, but were ultimately beaten on away goals.
In the league, Bayern are in imperious form, having thrashed Hamburg 9-2 over the weekend. Jupp Heynckes' men are 20 points clear of defending champions Borussia Dortmund. Overall, the club have nine of the last 10 games, across all competitions; the defeat to Arsenal was the first since Bayer Leverkusen beat them 2-1 back in October.
Meanwhile, their quarter final opponents - the Old Lady of Turin - are similarly confident. The Bianconieri are well in control of the Italian league and with a nine point lead (and eight games left to play) favourites to retain their title.
The club's European form, so far, has been strong. They qualified from Group E, with defending champions Chelsea, powerful Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk and FC Nordsjaelland for company. Juventus progressed unbeaten, with 12 points.
A brace from Alessandro Matri, one in each leg, gave the club an emphatic 5-0 aggregate win over Celtic in the first knock-out round and they have won five of their last six games, in all competitions. The impressive part of this run is they've conceded only twice in the period.
The Italians enjoyed a morale-boosting weekend as well, winning 2-1 against fierce rivals Inter Milan, at the Giuseppe Meazza.
Team Form
Bayern Munich
- Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): W W L W W
- Last Result: Bayern Munich 9 - 2 Hamburg SV
Juventus
- Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): W W W W D
- Last Result: Inter Milan 1 - 2 Juventus
Team News
Bayern will have defender Jerome Boateng and midfield general Bastian Schweinsteiger available for selection and both are key players. However, they will miss Spanish midfielder Javi Martinez, who is suspended. German international defender Holger Badstuber is unavailable with a long-term injury.
Brazilian Dante and captain Philipp Lahm are on yellow cards and will miss the return leg if booked in this match.
Probable Line-Up: Neuer; Lahm, Boateng, Dante, Alaba; Gustavo, Schweinsteiger; Muller, Kroos, Ribery; Mandzukic
Conte will wait for news, hopefully good, on Italy international Sebastian Giovinco. The attacking midfielder was substituted against Inter after a strong tackle from Argentine midfielder Esteban Cambiasso and it is likely that even if he is fit, the 26-year-old will start from the bench.
Montenegro striker Mirko Vucinic has the flu, leaving the Italian duo of Fabio Quagliarella and Matri as the choices up front. Expect former AC Milan midfielder Andrea Pirlo to be key for the visitors.
Probable Line-Up: Buffon; Barzagli, Chiellini, Bonucci; Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, Asamoah; Matri, Quagliarella
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