Lokomotiv Moscow vs Juventus 07/11/19

7 November 2019

Juventus maintained their unbeaten start to the UEFA Champions League (CL) season with a 2-1 comeback home win over Lokomotiv Moscow and are now looking to nail their place in the knockout stage with two games to spare in the reverse fixture at the RZD Arena.

Victory is a must for third-placed hosts who are lagging four points behind both Atletico Madrid and Juventus. Yuri Semin’s men have failed to build on a 2-1 away win over Bayer Leverkusen in the Group D curtain-raiser, losing both of their subsequent CL outings by conceding two goals apiece. Taking into account Lokomotiv’s results from the 2018/19 CL group stage, none of their last nine games in the competition’s group phase has ended in a draw (W2, L7). Loko’s dismal European record in Moscow lately (W5, D2, L7) can hit a new low, as they’ve overseen little success against the Italian visitors on Russian soil (W1, D1, L3).

Meanwhile, after being held to a 2-2 away draw to Atletico Madrid in the opening fixture, the visitors have won both of their subsequent group matches, scoring five goals while conceding one. Winless in their last four continental trips (D2, L2), the reigning Serie A champions will be desperate to extend their unbeaten run in Russia to four games (W2, D1) and potentially keep a clean sheet in the fourth visit to the country. But, a blank sheet might not be on the cards here, as the ‘Bianconeri’ failed to prevent their rivals from scoring in five consecutive games in all competitions before last weekend’s 1-0 win over Torino. Juventus’ game usually sparks into life after the break, with five of total six CL goals they’ve scored so far coming in the second half.