Analysing Manchester City’s Champions League opponents

Juventus – 1st in Serie A

Despite reaching last season’s final and still being favourites for the Serie A title, Juventus look considerably weaker with the loss of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez.

Many see last seasons European success as a one-off, but Max Allegri is confident that he can guide his team to yet another final. But first they will need to get out of this tough group first.

They may have lost some key players, but the Juve side is still strong, containing Paul Pogba, Georgio Chiellini, Paulo Dybala and Gigi Buffon, and Allegri knows what it takes to win. However, Juve could slip up in some games, as they have a tendency to do in big games, and Man City can capitalise on a big change in the Old Lady.

After seeing the group, Juve will hope to get out of the group, and if they finish top then that’s an even bigger bonus. The experience in the squad should be enough to get them through the group, but keep an eye out for Argentine Dybala, who was outstanding last season for Palermo, and he will show Europe how explosive he can be at times. One negative is that when the Juve defence comes up against pace, they may find it difficult to deal with.

Prediction:2nd