Barcelona vs Juventus UEFA Champions League group match tonight is one of the biggest fixtures in the competition. The fixture is not just big because it is going to mark the reunion of the two biggest rivals in the game, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, it is huge because it could determine the team that will top the group J depending on the number of goals that are scored in the fixture.
For instance, FC Barcelona are currently topping the UEFA Champions League group J with 16 points in 5 games, three points more than their tonight’s opponent, Juventus. The Spanish club also have a superior goals difference of 7 which means that Juventus would have to score at least 8 goals against FC Barcelona without conceding any to top the table ahead of Barcelona.
Based on the current form of both teams, Juventus can’t win over FC Barcelona with such a humiliating scoreline. Though the two clubs have not been enjoying the best of form domestically, they have proven to be a different team whenever they are playing in the Champions League.
For instance, so far this season, Barcelona have recorded 4 defeats, 2 draws, and 4 victories in 10 league games. The inconsistent run has left the Spanish giants in the 9th spot on the league table with 14 points.
Juventus have not also been having it funny in the domestic league. So far this season, the Italian giants have recorded 5 wins and 5 draws in 10 league games. They are currently sitting in the 4th spot on the league table with 20 points.
However, FC Barcelona have been enjoying the best of the season in the Champions League where they have recorded 5 victories out of 5 games. They are topping Group J with a perfect 15 points. On the other hand, Juventus have not been performing badly. The Italian club has recorded 4 victories in the Champions League and just a defeat.
Tonight’s game will not change much because the two clubs have already scaled through to the round of 16. It is only important for the bragging rights of the club’s fans and the fans of Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo.
The last Barcelona vs Juventus Champions League fixture took place on September 28, 2020, and it ended in a 2-0 away victory for FC Barcelona. Barcelona enjoyed the services of Lionel Messi in the match while Juventus could not have Cristiano Ronaldo because he was battling with coronavirus infection then.
In tonight’s game, the two stars are expected to be available for their clubs which means the fixture will be a Champions League group stage match to watch out for.
Barcelona Champions League form: LWWWWW
Barcelona form (all competitions): WLWWWL
Juventus Champions League form: WWLWWW
Juventus form (all competitions): DWWDWW
Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo: Head to Head.
Barcelona vs Juventus is not a fixture that one can call a traditional European club fixture because the two clubs have only met 13th times. In those meetings, Juventus recorded just three victories while FC Barcelona recorded five wins, other meetings ended in a draw.
In the history of Juventus, the Italian club has never won over FC Barcelona away at Camp Nou, a record Juventus might attempt to erase tonight.
But the two names that will be on parade tonight, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have met 35 times in all competitions. In those meetings, Lionel Messi has enjoyed more victories than Ronaldo.
In total, Messi has recorded 16 wins, 9 draws and 10 defeats against the clubs Ronaldo played for. So far in their careers, Messi has scored 22 goals while Ronaldo has scored 19 goals against each other.
⚔️ Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have faced each other 35 times in all competitions. Messi's record is: 16W 9D 10L. Goals: Messi 22-19 Cristiano Ronaldo #BarçaJuve #UCL [lesportiu] pic.twitter.com/GR0Frx3k9h
— FCBarcelonaFl 🏆 (@FCBarcelonaFl) December 8, 2020
Barcelona vs Juventus: Team News
FC Barcelona will go into tonight’s game with Ousmane Dembele who is currently battling a hamstring injury.
The club’s coach, Koeman, will also be without Ansu Fati, Gerard Pique, and Sergi Roberto who are all battling different degrees of injuries. The club’s coach has confirmed ahead of tonight’s game that Samuel Umtiti will not be available because he is still battling a knee injury.
On the other hand, Juventus will go into tonight’s game without Merih Demiral, Giorgio Chiellini, and Gianluigi Buffon who have been sidelined due to different degrees of injuries.
Besides the players that were mentioned above the club’s coach, Andrea Pirlo is without any other injury worries.
Barcelona probable starting lineup:
Ter Stegen; Dest, Araujo, Lenglet, Alba; Pjanic, De Jong; Pedri, Messi, Coutinho; Griezmann
Juventus probable starting lineup:
Szczesny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, Sandro; Kulusevski, Rabiot, Bentancur, Chiesa; Morata, Ronaldo
