Juventus will be looking for their seventh straight win in all competitions when they welcome Russian outfit Lokomotiv Moscow to Turin in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
The Italian champions are currently top of Group D with four points from their two matches, while Lokomotiv are third with three points to show from their two European fixtures this term.
Match preview
© Reuters
Unbeaten in all competitions this season, Juve look set to enjoy another successful campaign. Now under the management of Maurizio Sarri, the Turin giants are top of Serie A with 22 points from their eight matches, winning each of their last five in the league to move above an impressive Inter Milan.
Juve have utterly dominated Serie A in recent years, but it would be fair to say that the club are desperate to enjoy Champions League success. Cristiano Ronaldo was signed with the view to leading the side to European glory last season, but Ajax incredibly knocked the Italian champions out in the quarter-finals.
The Old Lady look well-placed to launch a challenge this term, though, and as mentioned, they are currently top of Group D with four points having drawn with Atletico Madrid and beaten Bayer Leverkusen thus far.
Juve have reached the round of 16 or better in 16 of their last 19 participations in the group stages of the Champions League, while they have won all three of their previous home games against Russian visitors - scoring nine times in the process and conceding just once.
It is difficult to imagine a scenario where Sarri's side fail to make it through this particular group, and the upcoming double-header with Lokomotiv could well see the Serie A giants book their spot in the next round.
© Reuters
Three points from two matches has left Lokomotiv in third position in Group D, just one point off Atletico and Juve heading into the next set of fixtures. They are certainly the underdogs for Tuesday's affair, but an impressive 2-1 victory away to Leverkusen on September 18 will have handed them confidence.
The 2-0 home loss against Atletico earlier this month could come back to haunt them, though, and as mentioned above, they now have back-to-back games against a Juve team that look very strong once again.
Lokomotiv have won their two league matches since the defeat to Atletico, however, and currently sit top of the Russian Premier League with 29 points, which is an indication of their strength.
This is the fifth time that the Russian side have been present in the group stages of the Champions League, but they struggled to perform last season, finishing bottom of a section which included Porto, Schalke 04 and Galatasaray and suffering five defeats in the process.
Yuri Semin's side will have to pull off some big results if they are to claim a top-two spot in the group, although the three-time Russian champions would certainly be one of the teams to watch in the Europa League if they were ultimately made to continue their European journey in that particular competition.
Juventus form: DW
Lokomotiv Moscow form: WL
Team News
© Reuters
Juve still have a number of injury problems with Giorgio Chiellini, Mattia Perin and Mattia De Sciglio unavailable for selection, while Douglas Costa is also still struggling with a thigh issue.
Aaron Ramsey, meanwhile, was not available for Wales during the recent international break due to a groin injury, and the midfielder also missed out against Bologna in the league on Saturday.
Ronaldo, Federico Bernardeschi and Gonzalo Higuain are likely to continue in the final third of the field, although Paulo Dybala is an option for Sarri as part of a front three.
Blaise Matuidi for Adrien Rabiot is an alteration which could occur in the middle of the park, but Juan Cuadrado is expected to continue at right-back despite Danilo's return to fitness.
As for Lokomotiv, Fedor Smolov missed Russia's two October internationals with a thigh injury which also ruled him out of Friday's league match against Akhmat Grozny.
The 29-year-old could return to the starting XI against Juve, although Anton Miranchuk, Jefferson Farfan and Boris Rotenberg remain long-term absentees for the Russian outfit.
Elsewhere, Grzegorz Krychowiak and Maciej Rybus, who were involved for Poland and Latvia respectively over the recent international break, should feature, while former Tottenham Hotspur defender Vedran Corluka is a certain starter at the back.
Juventus possible starting lineup: Szczesny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, Sandro; Matuidi, Pjanic, Khedira; Ronaldo, Higuain, Bernardeschi
Lokomotiv Moscow possible starting lineup: Guilherme; Ignatyev, Howedes, Corluka, Rybus; Mario, Krychowiak, Murilo, Barinov, Zhemaletdinov; Smolov
We say: Juventus 2-0 Lokomotiv Moscow
Juve are the strong favourites to move onto seven points in Group D on Tuesday night, and we fully expect the Italian champions to overcome Lokomotiv in Turin despite the Russian side's talent.
Matt Law
