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Bayer Leverkusen welcome Juventus at the Bay Arena on Wednesday night, fully aware that a win against the Italian side could potentially seal their place in the Champions League knockout stages for the first time since 2016-17 season.
Though, it could prove to be an uphill task for Peter Bosz's men, who face the Old Lady at a time when their 19-game undefeated streak across all competitions was brought to an end by Lazio and Maurizio Sarri's men head into the game to bounce back from the 3-1 defeat with nothing but a victory on their minds.
Bayer Leverkusen v Juventus Head to Head
Back-to-back wins against Atlético Madrid and Lokomotiv Moscow have helped Die Werkself close the gap between them and the La Liga side to just one going into matchday six.
I Bianconeri were able to secure top spot in Group D following a hard-fought 1-0 win at home over Atlético last time around.
This will be just the fourth meeting between these two sides in the Champions League era, the first two came in the 2001-02 campaign when the German side made it all the way to the finals. They were defeated in the both of their group stage meetings by Juve with an aggregate score of 7-1 that campaign.
In Matchday two, Sarri's men secured an easy 3-0 win over Bayer in front of their home crowd.
Bayer form guide: W-W-D-W-L
Juventus form guide: L-D-W-W-W
Also Read: Sarri reveals why Ronaldo, Dybala and Higuain can't start together in a match
Bayer Leverkusen v Juventus team news
Despite injuries to many first-team starters, Sarri won't be concerned. The Italian coach will be focused on the weekend fixture against Udinese and will likely rotate for this match, which is nothing but a mere formality for them.
Captain Giorgio Chiellini is a long-term absentee, midfielder Sami Khedira and winger Douglas Costa are both out with knee and hamstring injuries, respectively. Aaron Ramsey and Rodrigo Bentancur are both doubts and won't be risked in this fixture.
Cuadrado picked up a red card against Lazio but is allowed to take part in this fixture.
Injuries: Giorgio Chiellini (knee), Sami Khedira (knee), Douglas Costa (hamstring)
Doubtful: Aaron Ramsey (thigh), Rodrigo Bentacur (knee)
Suspensions: None
Juventus Predicted XI
Juventus Predicted XI: Gianluigi Buffon; Cuadrado, Daniele Rugani, Matthijs De Ligt, Mattia De Sciglio; Adrien Rabiot, Miralem Pjanic, Blaise Matuidi; Gonzalo Higuain; Federico Bernardeschi, Cristiano Ronaldo
Bayer Leverkusen vs Juventus Prediction
The clubs have had contrasting fortunes over the past few weeks. The hosts won two back-to-back games in the Bundesliga, including a win over champions Bayern Munich.
Juve's last two league fixtures ended in a loss and a draw respectively. Their 3-0 win over the German side in the reverse fixture back in October was the only match where they won by a margin of more than two goals this season.
Though the hosts are playing for a spot in the knockout stages and the visitors really have nothing to play for, fans expect a strong response from the side after their embarrassing 3-1 loss against Lazio and with Cristiano Ronaldo in their ranks, they are always the favourites in this competition.
Verdict: Bayer 2-2 Juventus
Also read: 5 records Cristiano Ronaldo can break this season, Champions League table
