Juve aim to keep run going against Mönchengladbach
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Article summary
Juventus will go in search of a third straight victory in Group D when they host a Borussia Mönchengladbach side still looking for their first UEFA Champions League points.
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Juventus will go in search of a third straight victory in Group D when they host a VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach side still looking for their first points in this season's competition.
Previous meetings
• Mönchengladbach eliminated Juventus in the second round of the 1975/76 European Champion Clubs' Cup. The clubs played the first leg in Dusseldorf on 22 October 1975 with Jupp Heynckes (27) and Allan Simonsen (36) scoring in a 2-0 win for the Bundesliga side.
• Juventus took a two-goal lead in the return through Sergio Gori (35) and Roberto Bettega (62) but Gladbach came back to draw thanks to goals from Dietmar Danner (70) and Simonsen (88).
• The starting lineups in Turin on 5 November 1975 were:
Juventus: Zoff, Gentile, Tardelli, Furino, Morini, Scirea, Causio, Gori, Anastasi, Capello, Bettega.
Mönchengladbach: Kleff, Vogts, Wittkamp, Schäffer, Bonhof, Danner, Simonsen, Wimmer, Jensen, Stielike, Heynckes.
Match background
Juventus
• Last season's beaten finalists are one of six teams with maximum points from their first two games in the 2015/16 group stage, having beaten Manchester City FC (2-1) and Sevilla FC (2-0).
• Juve are on a 14-match unbeaten home run in UEFA competition, dating back to a 2-0 loss to FC Bayern München in April 2013.
• Massimiliano Allegri's side beat Borussia Dortmund home (2-1) and away (3-0) in last season's round of 16. Their overall home record against Bundesliga clubs is W14 D2 L5.
• Juventus have lost two European Cup finals against German sides, going down to Hamburger SV (0-1) in 1983 and to Dortmund (1-3) in 1997. In between they beat Dortmund 6-1 on aggregate in the 1992/93 UEFA Cup final.
Mönchengladbach
• Gladbach have had a difficult start to their first European Cup campaign since 1977/78, having lost at Sevilla (0-3) and then at home to Manchester City (1-2).
• They lost 2-0 at SS Lazio on their most recent visit to Italy in the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League round of 32 (aggregate 3-5). Álvaro Domínguez, Martin Stranzl, Tony Jantschke, Håvard Nordtveit, Oscar Wendt and Granit Xhaka all played that night, while Hernanes was in the Lazio side.
• Their overall record away to Serie A clubs is W2 D1 L3.
• Gladbach lost the 1977 European Cup final on Italian soil, succumbing 3-1 against Liverpool FC in Rome.
Coach and player links
• Andrea Barzagli played for VfL Wolfsburg between July 2008 and January 2011, winning the 2008/09 Bundesliga title. His record against Gladbach was W2 D1 L0.
• Mario Mandžukić appeared six times against Gladbach (W3 D2 L1) when playing in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg and Bayern. He scored once against them – in a 3-1 home win for Bayern in August 2013.
• Sami Khedira had a 100% record against Gladbach with VfB Stuttgart (W3 D0 L0).
• Paul Pogba appeared as a substitute in the France side that ran out 5-2 winners over a Switzerland team including Stephan Lichtsteiner, Granit Xhaka and substitute Josip Drmic at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Xhaka scored the second Swiss goal.
• Simone Zaza and Leonardo Bonucci scored and Gianluigi Buffon also played in Italy's 2-0 win at Håvard Nordtveit's Norway in a UEFA EURO 2016 qualifier in September 2014.
• Álvaro Morata scored for Spain in a 3-0 semi-final win against Nordtveit's Norway at the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
• Fabian Johnson won in Italy when his United States team defeated the Azzurri in a Genoa friendly in February 2012. Buffon, Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini and Claudio Marchisio were in the beaten home team.
• Players who have played together:
Khedira & André Hahn, Patrick Herrmann (Germany)
Lichtsteiner & Yann Sommer, Xhaka, Drmic (Switzerland)
Khedira & Martin Stranzl (VfB Stuttgart, 2004–06)
Juan Cuadrado & Andreas Christensen (Chelsea FC, 2015)
Barzagli, Mandžukić & Johnson (VfL Wolfsburg, 2010/11)
Match facts
Juventus
• Juventus have won only once in four home league games this term, for the loss of seven points – they dropped only six points in Turin in the previous two seasons combined.
• Morata, who has scored in his last five UEFA Champions League outings, opened his Serie A account for the campaign with a goal in the 3-1 victory over Bologna FC on 4 October.
• Khedira was also on target versus Bologna – his Serie A debut.
• Marchisio suffered a thigh injury against AC Chievo Verona on 12 September, and made his return in Sunday's goalless draw at FC Internazionale Milano.
• Mandžukić, who had been out since 20 September with a thigh injury, also returned against Inter.
• Pogba sustained a right ankle injury while training with France on 7 October, while Morata (leg) was substituted 32 minutes into Spain's UEFA EURO 2016 qualifier against Luxembourg; both started against Inter.
• Lichtsteiner underwent minor heart surgery on 2 October after experiencing breathing difficulties during the draw with Frosinone Calcio last month. He is expected to be out for four weeks.
• Martín Cáceres, a scorer for Uruguay three days earlier against Bolivia (2-0), suffered an ankle injury in the Celeste's FIFA World Cup qualifier at home to Colombia on 13 October after a foul from club-mate Cuadrado, who was sent off in added time.
• Paulo Dybala made his debut for Argentina on 13 October, playing the last quarter of an hour of a 0-0 draw with Paraguay.
Mönchengladbach
• Lars Stindl's next yellow card will incur a suspension.
• The 5-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday was the first time Mönchengladbach have scored five or more in a competitive away game since 29 August 2010, a 6-3 victory at Bayer 04 Leverkusen which sandwiched a 6-1 loss at Hannover 96 and 7-0 defeat at VfB Stuttgart.
• Mönchengladbach, having lost their first five league games this season, are on a run of four successive Bundesliga victories – all achieved under interim coach André Schubert.
• Schubert is the only coach in Gladbach's history to have won his first three league fixtures, let alone four.
• Sommer sustained a broken nose on matchday two and sat out the 3-0 home success against Wolfsburg on 3 October. His replacement, 27-year-old Tobias Sippel, made his Mönchengladbach debut and first Bundesliga appearance since 5 May 2012. Sommer returned on Saturday.
• Herrmann tore the rear cruciate ligament in his left knee in training on 8 October.
• Nico Schulz sustained a left knee ligament injury during a friendly draw against MSV Duisburg the following day.
• Jantschke (out since 19 September, calf) made his comeback in that match.
• Xhaka tore the lateral collateral ligament in his right ankle as Switzerland defeated Estonia 1-0 in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying on 12 October but played in Frankfurt.
• Making his first appearance for club or country since 22 March, Stranzl was forced off after 65 minutes of the 3-0 reverse against Hamburg on 11 September with a broken eye socket.