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Juventus made an encouraging start under new manager Andrea Pirlo when they launched their Serie A title defence with a convincing 3-0 home win over Sampdoria. However, their momentum seems to have fizzled off since then.
The Bianconeri have managed to win just one of their next four league games to find themselves in fifth place in the league table. However, Juventus are one of three unbeaten teams in the Italian top flight this season, with table toppers AC Milan and third-placed Sassuolo being the others.
5 reasons why Juventus could struggle against Barcelona
Juventus opened their 2020-21 Champions League campaign last week with a 2-0 win at Dynamo Kiev but without their prolific scorer Cristiano Ronaldo, the Bianconeri seemed to lack bite up front.
In their second game in the competition, the 1995-96 Champions League winners welcome La Liga giants Barcelona to Turin in a blockbuster clash. The Catalan giants are coming off a 3-1 home loss against Real Madrid in the first El Clasico of the season but had a convincing 5-1 win in their Champions League opener against Ferenvaros.
On that note, let us take a look at five reasons why Juventus could struggle against Barcelona:
#1 The Lionel Messi factor
Lionel Messi is arguably one of the greatest players to have graced the game. The diminutive Argentinian, who is one of two players to have scored over 100 goals in the Champions League, arrives in Turin after becoming the first player in the competition to score in 16 consecutive seasons.
Even though Messi has not yet hit full throttle this season, he will relish the opportunity to face Juventus, a team against whom he has scored twice in five games in the Champions League.
The Barcelona captain scored a brace in Barcelona's 3-0 home win over Juventus in a group-stage game in the 2017-18 edition of the competition. However, the player drew a blank in the return game in Turin, something he would be itching to rectify on Wednesday.
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#2 The form of Barcelona's prodigious teenager Ansu Fati
Barcelona's teenage sensation Ansu Fati has already scored twice in the Champions League this season. His brace against Ferencvaros last week made the 17-year-old the youngest player to score two goals in a Champions League game.
Fati has grown by leaps and bounds since breaking into the Barcelona first team last season.
Under new manager Ronald Koeman, the young player has become a permanent fixture in the starting XI. Last weekend, Fati became the youngest player to score in El Clasico history, even though his efforts were not enough to help Barcelona thwart a home defeat.
The 17-year-old is one of the most promising teenagers in world football at the moment. Fati's scorching pace down the flanks and composure in front of goal could be tough to handle for a Bianconeri backline that has conceded four goals in six games in all competitions this season.
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#3 Andrea Pirlo's managerial inexperience
Andrea Pirlo was handed the reins of Juventus despite the former player having no prior experience in senior club management.
To his credit, the 2006 FIFA World Cup winner kickstarted his managerial stint with a convincing win over Sampdoria. However, much of that early momentum seems to have petered out as the Bianconeri are yet to find their feet under their new manager.
It may be very early days in his managerial career but Pirlo's tactics have generally elicited mixed reactions from experts and former players.
The former Juventus player, who has spoken about a possession-based playing philosophy, has drawn mild criticism for asking some experienced players in the team to don unnatural roles. A high defensive back-line has seen the likes of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci susceptible to quick counter-attacks from the opposition.
Moreover, Pirlo's penchant for playing attacking football has meant that Juventus have struggled to maintain their shape and track back when possession gets lost. An experienced tactician like Ronald Koeman might expose the chinks in Pirlo's armour, something that augurs well for Barcelona's chances of coming out with a positive result on the night.
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#4 Juventus' new arrivals haven't yet had the desired impact
Arthur Melo was touted to walk into the Juventus starting XI after arriving in a swap deal with Barcelona that saw Miralem Pjanic go the other way.
However, the Brazilian midfielder has made a slow start to life in Turin. He is yet to convince Pirlo, who has said that Arthur tends to hold on to the ball for too long, and will need more time to adapt to Italian football.
Another new arrival, Weston McKennie, has also not hit the ground running at Juventus. The player could miss the game against Barcelona.
#5 The absence of Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo is arguably one of the greatest players to have played the sport. Since his arrival at Juventus in the summer of 2018, the Portugal captain has scored goals galore for the Bianconeri.
Ronaldo made a blistering start to the new campaign by scoring thrice in his first two games of the season. However, the 35-year-old tested positive for COVID-19 while on international duty with Portugal, which has meant that Ronaldo is yet to play in the Champions League this season.
After Juventus failed to submit a negative test of the player to UEFA, Ronaldo is ruled out of the Barcelona game, something that would severely inhibit the Bianconeri's threat in the attacking third despite Alvaro Morata being in fine form.
Ronaldo's absence means that he will have to wait till the return fixture in December to score his first-ever Champions League goal against Barcelona. Meanwhile, Ronald Koeman and the Blaugrana would breathe easy as they won't have Ronaldo to contend with.
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