Juventus are set to host Borussia Dortmund at the Juventus Stadium in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16 tie.
The Italian champions finished second in Group A on 10 points, three points behind last season’s runners-up Atletico Madrid. On the other hand, Dortmund topped their respective group with 13 points, but snatched the top spot on goal difference after tying with Arsenal on points tally and head-to-head.
Previous meetings between both sides were most notable in the 1990s, having met one another in nine encounters, including a two-legged UEFA Cup final and a Champions League final.
The Bianconeri were able to bag the UEFA Cup in 1992/93 after defeating Die Schwarzgelben 6-1 on aggregate; however, Dortmund gained revenge in the 1996/97 at the Olympiastadion in Berlin as they went on to lift their first and only Champions League crown up to date at the expense of Juve, defeating them 3-1.
Despite having a nine point lead at the top of the Serie A table, Juventus are experiencing a dip in form recently. La Vecchia Signora have now drawn two of their last six encounters, against Udinese and Cesena respectively, as well as achieving a hard-fought 2-1 win versus Atalanta on Friday.
On the other hand, Dortmund have experienced a calamitous 2014/2015 season, hovering near the relegation zone for most of the Bundesliga campaign. However, the 2013 Champions League runners-up have returned to winning ways in past weeks with three wins out of three.
Even though both teams are on opposite sides of the spectrum when it comes to league form, that was not the case in the group stages of the Champions League. Juventus sealed progression on the final group game, whilst Dortmund became the first team to book their place in the knockout stages with four consecutive group wins.
Juve coach Massimilano Allegri is set to miss the services of Romulo and Kwadwo Asamoah due to injury, whilst Alessandro Matri, Andrea Barzagli, and Luca Marrone are doubtful.
German international Kevin Grosskreutz remains the only player Jurgen Klopp will miss for sure, but Ciro Immobile, Jakub Blaszczykowski, Sebastian Kehl, Sven Bender, Erik Durm, and Mats Hummels are doubtful for the game.
Form Guide: Juventus (W-W-D-W-D-W) Borussia Dortmund (D-D-L-W-W-W)
Expected Starting XIs
Juventus (4-3-1-2): Buffon; Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Chiellini, Evra; Pogba, Pirlo, Marchisio; Vidal; Tevez, Morata.
Borussia Dortmund (4-2-3-1): Weidenfeller; Piszczek, Subotic, Hummels, Schmelzer; Gundogan, Sahin; Kampl, Mkhitaryan, Reus; Immobile.
