Juventus face Freiburg on Thursday for the second leg of the UEFA Europa League’s round of 16. The Italian team won 1-0 in the first leg thanks to the goal scored by Angel Di Maria. Massimiliano Allegri’s side dropped into the competition from the Champions League after finishing third in Group H ahead of Maccabi Haifa but behind Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain. They then beat Nantes over two legs in the first knockout round of the Europa League. Here’s what you need to know:
How to watch and odds
What to know
- Juventus star Paul Pogba is still out injured and won’t be coming back before the International break. The midfielder suffered a low-grade tear to his right thigh adductor and should be out for the next three weeks. Pogba’s comeback at the Italian club has been full of issues and he’s barely played. He also missed the first leg against Freiburg last week due to disciplinary reasons as he arrived late at the team’s meeting on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s clash. This season, he’s only played 35 minutes in all competitions.
- Allegri announced that both Angel Di Maria and Federico Chiesa will start on the bench as they are still recovering from their respective injuries and are not fully fit to start Thursday’s game.
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- Taking into consideration also the Europa League, Freiburg’s unbeaten run stretches to 15 home matches. The German side earned six points out of six from the opening two matches in Group G, defeating Qarabag and Nantes. Freiburg are unbeaten in their last eight home matches in European competition, last tasting defeat in December 2013 to Sevilla in the Europa League group stage.
Prediction
Even if Freiburg need a win after the 1-0 defeat seven days ago, Juventus are expected to make it to the quarterfinals. Pick: Juventus 0, Freiburg 0.