Juventus go into tonight’s meeting behind on aggregate and will need Ronaldo at his best if they are to advance into the next round of the UEFA Champions League.
Ronaldo was Juventus’ main man in the knockout stages last season. He scored all of their five goals including a hat-trick against Atletico Madrid as they wiped out a two-goal deficit to progress.
However, that is not the first time that Ronaldo had single-handedly dragged his team from the jaws of defeat as he consistently turned up for Los Blancos when they won four titles in five years.
Juventus’ domestic dominance has continued since Ronaldo’s arrival but they know his impact will be judged mainly on their European adventures. Last season’s defeat to a vastly inexperienced Ajax team was disappointing, to say the least, and they must avoid a repeat tonight.
The Italians were poor in the first leg in France and were lucky to come away only one goal down. They find themselves in a recoverable situation but will need a massive improvement from their recent showings.
Maurizio Sarri’s men ended the season on a dismal run of two wins in their last five games. On the other hand, their opponents are fresh from a penalty shootout defeat against PSG in the Coupe de la Ligue final. Nevertheless, the French giants will be keen on holding on to that lead at the Allianz Stadium this week .
Team news
Paulo Dybala is a major doubt for this match after the Argentine missed the final two games of the Serie A season with a thigh complication. The Argentine recently picked up the Serie A MVP award so he will be a big miss if he doesn’t play. Sarri will also be without Mattia De Sciglio and Douglas Costa.
Rudi Garcia meanwhile remains without Youssouf Kone, while Marcelo and Kenny Tete are unlikely to make the matchday squad. In more positive news for Lyon, Memphis Depay, who has missed the majority of the campaign with a cruciate injury, returned for the Coupe de la Ligue final against PSG and is expected to start against Juve.
