Juventus in Champions League Group A: In good company

Date: 30th August 2014 at 2:30am
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Juventus find themselves in Group A of this season 2014/15 Champions League. The Bianconeri will take on Atletico Madrid, Malmo, and Olympiacos. On paper Atletico Madrid look the only real threat to Juventus’ qualification hopes. However Group A happens to be the only one of the eight groups containing four domestic champions, and as such will likely provide a unique challenge.

Given how Juventus struggled and failed to come out of the group stages last season in a group not too dissimilar to this year’s, in terms of its composition, Massimiliano Allegri and Bianconeri players will be all the more vigilant in their approach this time around. With new signing Patrice Evra, Juventus will hope that the former Manchester United defender can add his wealth of experience to the Bianconeri’s assault on Europe.

Atletico Madrid (Spanish La Liga Champions)

Diego SimeoneAtletico Madrid took La Liga by storm last season, beating out both Real Madrid and Barcelona. The real magic behind the Madrid club lies with their coach Diego Simeone however. The fiery Argentine has set his team into a hard-working and difficult-to-beat side that boasts of the same qualities of grinta (fighting spirit) Simeone exhibited during his playing career. Although the approach sounds minimalist, it brought Atletico all the way to last year’s Champions League final. The side ultimately fell at the last hurdle against Real Madrid however.

In the summer Atletico Madrid lost many players, most notably striker Diego Costa and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois; but new recruits arrived to plug the gaps with Mario Mandzukic and Antoine Griezmann heading that list.

Atletico Madrid were able to keep a hold of the key behind their La Liga and Champions League successes however, which was their defensive duo of Diego Godin and Miranda. The two centre-backs were immense for the Spanish club last season, and Juventus will find it challenging to break down their miserly partnership.

Malmo FF (Swedish Allsvenskan Champions)

Markus RosenbergMalmo are one of two sides making their Champions League debut. As such, the Swedish champions will represent the minnows of the group and the ones all other sides will be banking on getting three points from. Malmo coach Age Hareide is well aware of that and aims to tackle the competition with modesty and humility.

“There are two very strong sides and one that I think we can compete against, and that’s Olympiacos,” Hareide said to UEFA.com.

“[Our objective is] to get to the Europa League knockout stage by finishing third.”

The main threat for Juventus will be experienced striker Markus Rosenberg, who will be hoping to make the best of the club’s coming-out on the big stage.

Olympiacos (Greek Superleague Champions)

OlympiacosLast season Olympiacos found themselves at the edge of a historic feat to reach the Champions League quarter-finals by beating Manchester United. The Greeks had taken a first-leg lead against the Red Devils, only to be overturned in the return fixture.

When discussing Olympiacos, the cliché often has observers focusing on the tough atmosphere of the Karaiskakis stadium in Piraeus.

However, under the leadership of the savvy Michel, Olympiacos also boast of consequent technical and tactical ability that their opponents would be imprudent to ignore. The Argentine duo of Javier Saviola and Alejandro Dominguez are prime examples of the kind of firepower Olympiacos bring to the table. Although they lost Costa Rican forward Joel Campbell, Ibrahim Affellay joined the Greeks’ ranks to add a touch of quality and creativity in midfield. At the back, Olympiacos prized veteran French defender Eric Abidal from Monaco to add more composure to their back-line.

Of course the last time Olympiacos and Juventus met in the 2003/04 Champions League group stages, the Turin giants thrashed the Greek side 7-0, which equaled the Bianconeri’s record victory in UEFA competition to date. Given the history between the two clubs, it will render the Greeks all the more apprehensive whilst Juventus will approach the clash brimming with confidence.

Follow Ogo Sylla on Twitter at: @RossonerOgo_3

 

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