Despite the unconvincing performance, Chelsea managed to achieve five consecutive victories in various competitions. This was due to coach Thomas Tuchel restoring the balance of the system, especially in the back line. It is worth noting that the Blues won the last four matches of the Champions League at home without conceding any goal, which makes it more likely in today’s meeting.
Juventus seeks to achieve long-awaited success on the European stage (AFP)
For Lille, their early exit from the competition seemed imminent, having collected only two points from their first three matches in Group G. However, Lille heated up the competition in their last three matches with consecutive victories over Sevilla, Red Bull Salzburg and Wolfsburg that saw them rise to the top of the standings. The team is suffering both domestically, as it occupies eleventh place in the league, which makes it focus on reaching the maximum possible role in the Champions League in order to remove the pressure.
Cesar Azpilicueta and Callum Hudson-Odoi are in doubt due to injury, while Chelsea playmaker Mason Mount continues to be absent due to ankle pain. For Lille, Angel Gomez was forced to retire in the first half of the Metz match due to a leg problem, making his participation at Stamford Bridge ruled out.
Chelsea have won their last four Champions League matches at home without conceding a single goal
In another meeting, Juventus will visit Villarreal in an even match. The “Yellow Submarines” team finished second in Group F behind Manchester United to reach this role, while Juventus topped Group “H” ahead of defending champion Chelsea.
Villarreal coach Unai Emery is considered the best in Europe in terms of the second championship “European League” in terms of importance, as he achieved brilliant success in the European League, most recently last season when he lifted the title with Villarreal at the expense of Manchester United. Emery is now trying to shine in the Champions League as well, as he seeks to overcome the obstacle of Juventus, although the former Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain coach realized the difficulty of the task.
It is the first time that Villarreal has been able to reach the playoffs since 2009, and the team enters the upcoming meeting following overcoming four domestic matches unbeaten, achieving 10 points out of 12 possible while conceding one goal.
On the other hand, Juventus seeks to bypass Villarreal and try to achieve long-awaited success on the European stage. Despite losing 4-0 in the group stage once morest Chelsea, “Juve” qualified for the 16th round at the top of the group at the expense of the competition champion following achieving five victories, as the second best outcome among all the teams behind Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Ajax (these teams achieved the full mark in the role of groups).
(AFP)
Things are not going well for Juventus during the “calcio” career, given the mixed results that put him in fourth place. Despite that, the team achieved a series of seven consecutive matches without any defeat in various tournaments. It is the eighth consecutive appearance in the playoffs for Juve, but the curse of the 16th round has haunted the team over the past two seasons, following it was eliminated by both Lyon and Porto.
Villarreal will be absent from goalkeeper Gerard Moreno, and it is likely that Etienne Capoy, Francis Coquelin and Robin Penna will continue to be absent. As for Juventus, central defenders Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, as well as winger Federico Chiesa, are still absent, and Daniele Rogani is likely to miss the match, given he was eliminated from the 1-1 draw once morest Torino due to injury at the end of the week.
