Following their midweek exit from Europe, an ailing Juventus side return to Serie A duty on Saturday, as they visit lowly Lecce at Stadio Via del Mare.
Beaten for the fourth time in five Champions League games, Juve are now set to drop into the Europa League, but first must make up ground on the seven clubs above them in Italy, as they seek a third league win on the spin.
Match preview
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Already teetering on the brink of elimination after being humbled by Maccabi Haifa last time out, Juventus travelled to Lisbon on Wednesday aiming to stop the rot in Champions League Group H.
Instead, they suffered an unprecedented fourth defeat from five in the competition's group phase to lose any remaining hope of catching their hosts, Benfica, and Paris Saint-Germain, who both now sit eight points clear of Max Allegri's men.
Three goals behind by the 50th minute at Estadio da Luz, Juve made the scoreline more palatable by striking back through Arkadiusz Milik and Weston McKennie, but a 4-3 defeat continues to pile pressure on their much-maligned coach.
Now out of Europe's top club competition before the knockout rounds for the first time since 2013, Juventus had habitually qualified for the last 16 despite their decline during recent years. Now, Allegri must dust himself off and go again in Serie A, where his team already trail league leaders Napoli by a margin of 10 points.
Successive wins without conceding a goal - in the Turin derby, then against Empoli in last week's 4-0 victory - had apparently put the Bianconeri back on track, but failing to take care of business in Lecce would prove a bitter blow.
They have already been beaten by Haifa and Monza this season, so slipping up against a promoted club, who they have lost to only four times in their last 32 meetings, would test the patience of an embattled Juve board.
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Indeed, Lecce's last win over their visitors came back in February 2011, and since then, two Juventus wins and two draws have been played out between two very different clubs.
Marco Baroni's current side have drawn 1-1 in each of their last four league games at Via del Mare and could now finish all-square in five straight home matches for the first time ever in Serie A.
Given their illustrious opposition, such a result would not go amiss for the Giallorossi, who languish just two points outside the relegation zone, following a tough start to life back in the top flight since earning promotion as Serie B champions.
After a 2-0 defeat to fellow strugglers Bologna last time out, Lecce have still won just one of their league fixtures this season. Nonetheless, they have also lost only once on home soil and are a far sterner proposition at their southern stronghold.
While his side also boast the best defensive record in the bottom half of the table, Baroni has seen them concede nine goals from set pieces so far: a joint-high in Serie A. As only free-scoring Napoli have scored more from dead ball situations than Juventus, that could pose a significant problem on Saturday.
Team News
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While it ultimately brought failure in Lisbon, Juventus could persist with their 3-5-2 formation of recent weeks but with a reshuffle of personnel - Dusan Vlahovic may even be rested.
English teenager Samuel Iling-Junior made a major impact from the bench in midweek and could be involved again, with Fabio Miretti and Federico Gatti also pushing their claims for Serie A selection. The latter may continue as part of Max Allegri's back three.
Though Paul Pogba remains short of fitness, Federico Chiesa could play a part for the first time in nearly 300 days, after an ACL injury which kept the Italy international sidelined for most of 2022. When at former club Fiorentina, he found the net and provided an assist in his only previous league game against Lecce.
Angel Di Maria and Argentinian compatriot Leandro Paredes remain unavailable; Bremer and Mattia De Sciglio are the visitors' defensive absentees.
Meanwhile, Lecce have Antonino Gallo back from suspension, so Giuseppe Pezzella may find his place at left-back under threat.
Though goals have been hard to come by for the Salentini, Brazilian forward Gabriel Strefezza has four goals to his name this term and should start in Marco Baroni's front three once again.
The hosts' coach has the benefit of a fully-fit squad to choose from, and can rely upon the valuable experience of Samuel Umtiti at the back.
Lecce possible starting lineup:
Falcone; Baschirotto, Pongracic, Umtiti, Pezzella; Gonzalez, Hjulmand, Blin; Strefezza, Ceesay, Banda
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Danilo, Bonucci, Gatti; Cuadrado, McKennie, Miretti, Rabiot, Kostic; Milik, Kean
We say: Lecce 0-1 Juventus
Only Lazio have kept more clean sheets than Juve's six in Serie A this season; Lecce are one of two sides yet to post a single shutout. Therefore, even if the visitors experience a Champions League hangover, they can score at least once at Via del Mare - if only from a set piece.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
