Juventus v Malmö background

Malmö FF start their maiden UEFA Champions League group stage with a tough tie: away at two-time champions Juventus.

Match background

Juventus
• The two-time winners finished third in their group last season and stepped across to the UEFA Europa League. They reached the semi-finals before losing to SL Benfica.

• Under Antonio Conte, coach Massimiliano Allegri's predecessor, they were unbeaten at home in both competitions in 2013/14: W3 D4 L0.

• Juventus's only previous meeting with a Swedish club came against Djurgårdens IF in the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. They overturned a two-goal deficit in a 2-2 home draw before winning 4-1 at Råsundastadion. Gianluigi Buffon played for Juve, while Matias Concha was in the Djurgården side.

Malmö
• The 2013 Swedish champions won three qualifying ties to reach the group stage, beating FK Ventspils (1-0 on aggregate), AC Sparta Praha (4-4 on aggregate; away goals) and FC Salzburg (4-2 on aggregate). They are Sweden's first group stage representatives since Helsingborgs IF in 2000/01.

• European Cup runners-up in 1979, Malmö last appeared in the competition proper in 1990/91. They reached the second round before losing on penalties to 1. FC Dynamo Dresden after two 1-1 draws.

• Malmö's only previous experience of a UEFA competition group stage was in the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League. They finished bottom of their group after one draw and five defeats.

• They last faced Serie A opponents when overcoming FC Internazionale Milano in the 1989/90 European Champion Clubs' Cup first round, winning 1-0 at home before a 1-1 away draw.

• The Himmelsblått have visited Turin once before for a 2-1 defeat at Torino FC in the first round of the 1976/77 European Cup.

Player links
• As a player, Åge Hareide won 2-1 in Italy with Norway in a September 1985 friendly. As a coach, he has lost on all three previous visits: 1-0 at Parma FC with Helsingborg (1999/2000 UEFA Cup second round), 3-0 at Parma with Brøndby IF (2001/02 UEFA Cup third round) and 2-1 with Norway in a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier in September 2004.

• In August 2010, Markus Rosenberg came off the bench to score the 93rd-minute goal that took SV Werder Bremen's UEFA Champions League play-off second leg at UC Sampdoria into extra time. The German side eventually won 5-4 on aggregate.

• Rosenberg scored a late winner for Bremen in a 2-1 success over Inter in the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League group stage. The result took them into the UEFA Europa League, where they knocked out Andrea Pirlo's AC Milan in the round of 32.

• Simon Thern was born in Naples during his father Jonas's days playing in Serie A for SSC Napoli and AS Roma.

• Agon Mehmeti appeared three times in Serie A for US Città di Palermo in 2012/13. He then had a loan spell at Novara Calcio in Serie B, scoring six times in 22 outings.

• Markus Halsti played against Patrice Evra and Paul Pogba in the Finland team beaten home and away by France in 2014 World Cup qualifying.

Match facts

Juventus

• Roberto Pereyra serves a one-match ban on matchday one. He was sent off in former club Udinese Calcio's UEFA Europa League play-off at FC Slovan Liberec in August 2013.

• The last time Juventus won their first European group stage match was in 2008, a 1-0 home victory against FC Zenit; they have drawn all four since.

• Álvaro Morata, fit after a knee problem, made his debut in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Udinese Calcio.

• Carlos Tévez has gone 14 matches without a goal in the UEFA Champions League since scoring in Manchester United FC's 2-2 draw with FC Porto on 7 April 2009.

• Massimiliano Allegri's side started their Serie A defence with a 1-0 victory at AC Chievo Verona, with Cristiano Biraghi's early own goal the difference between the sides.

• Andrea Pirlo (hip) and Giorgio Chiellini (calf) have not featured this season.

• Arturo Vidal has been ruled out with a right thigh injury sustained during the international break while on duty with Chile.

• Andrea Barzagli is on the verge of a return to action following an Achilles problem.

• Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci scored his third international goal as Italy kicked off UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying with a 2-0 win in Norway on 9 September.

• Paul Pogba scored France's goal in their 1-1 friendly draw away to Serbia on 7 September.

Malmö

• Malmö contested their first continental fixture 50 years ago this month – an 8-3 first-leg loss to PFC Lokomotiv Sofia in the 1964/65 European Champion Clubs' Cup preliminary round.

• Malmö are on course to become the first team to retain the Allsvenskan title since Djurgårdens IF in 2003.

• Markus Rosenberg has scored ten goals in his last 11 appearances in all competitions.

• Åge Hareide's side suffered their first defeat in 15 league matches, and second of the season, when they lost 2-0 to Djurgården on 31 August.

• Guillermo Molins is not in Malmö's UEFA Champions League squad after he was ruled out until 2015 with a knee injury sustained in a friendly against FK Partizan on 27 June.

• Simon Thern (out since 12 July, broken fibula) and Ricardinho (23 August, knee) are expected to return to action in early October.

• Goalkeeper Robin Olsen has kept an Allsvenskan best nine clean sheets this term.