#3 Juventus
After being dispatched by Germans Bayern Munich 6-4 on aggregate in the ‘Last 16’ stage of the competition last term, the Old Lady will be keen to heal their wounded reputation in Europe and translate their unprecedented domestic success to continental competition; Juventus topped the Serie A table with 91 points last campaign, conceding just 20 goals in the process.
While an already reliable backline, including the likes of Leonardo Bonucci and Georgio Chiellini, has been bolstered by the additions of Dani Alves and Mehdi Benatia this summer, the frontline is just as eye-watering following the €90 million acquisition of Argentinian forward Gonzalo Higuain from Napoli.
The aforementioned trio were brought in along with Miralem Pjanic and Marko Pjaca for just shy of €150 million and, with dominance in Italy already attained, it’s evident Allegri’s side have brought in reinforcements for the purpose of being more competitive in the Champions League.
In Group H, the Italian giants are joined by Europa League holders Sevilla, Lyon and Dinamo Zagreb and, although the quartet appears one of the most evenly matched on paper, it’ll more than likely be Juve who pave a path to the knockout phase as group winners, with the other three battling it out for the second spot.
From there, edging matches away from the Juventus Stadium and maintaining the unbeaten home record from last season’s European campaign could crown them as unlikely victors.
