Juventus VS Olympiacos
Wednesday (27/09/2017)
19:45 (WAT)
Juventus and Olympiacos FC both have ground to make up in Group D as they meet in the second round of fixtures, with the Greek side returning to the city where they suffered their heaviest European loss.Wednesday (27/09/2017)
19:45 (WAT)
• While Juve were going down 3-0 at FC Barcelona on matchday one, Sporting Clube de Portugal were beating Olympiacos 3-2 in Piraeus, leaving both these teams playing catch-up in the section.
• Olympiacos parted company with coach Besnik Hasi on 25 September, with Takis Lemonis taking over.
Previous meetings
• Juventus have won six of the clubs' ten previous encounters, including all four fixtures played in Turin, and lost only two.• Their most recent meetings came in the 2014/15 group stage, when a first-half goal from Pajtim Kasami gave Olympiacos a 1-0 home win in Piraeus. Juve, however, turned the tables in Italy, where goals from Andrea Pirlo and Paul Pogba either side of a Roberto own goal gave them the points despite Alberto Botía and Delvin N'Dinga scoring for the visitors. Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal missed an added-time penalty.
• Juventus beat Olympiacos 7-0 when the clubs met in Turin in the group stage, on 10 December 2003. It remains the Bianconeri's joint biggest win in Europe and Olympiacos's heaviest loss.
• Gianluigi Buffon watched from the bench that night but did play in Juve's 2-1 away success at the Rizoupoli Stadium in Athens.
• Olympiacos's only other victory over Juve – 2-1 in Palermo in the 1999/2000 UEFA Cup third round – was in a losing cause; they still went down 4-3 on aggregate.
Match background
Juventus
• Juventus lost last season's final 4-1 to Real Madrid CF in Cardiff. They were also beaten by Barcelona on matchday one, the first time since the 2014/15 group stage they had lost successive European games; they have not suffered three defeats in a row in Europe since 1993/94.
• The loss to Madrid in the 2017 final ended Juve's 12-match unbeaten European run (W9 D3).
• The Bianconeri are on a 23-match (W14 D9) unbeaten home run in UEFA competition, dating back to a 2-0 reverse against FC Bayern München in April 2013.
• This is an 18th UEFA Champions League group stage campaign for Juve, and a sixth in succession.
• The Italian outfit have reached the knockout rounds in their last three attempts, having finished third in their section in 2013/14.
• Juve's record at home to Greek clubs is W9 D1 L1 – their sole defeat that 2-1 reverse against Olympiacos in Palermo in December 1999.
Olympiacos
• Olympiacos are in the group stage for an 18th time. They lost to Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC in last season's third qualifying round, the first time they had missed out on the UEFA Champions League group stage since 2010/11.
• In 2016/17, the Greek side went on to reach the UEFA Europa League round of 16, falling 5-2 on aggregate to Beşiktaş JK.
• The Piraeus club earned a place in this season's qualifying rounds by winning their 44th Greek championship in 2016/17 – their seventh in a row.
• Olympiacos opened this season with a 5-3 aggregate success against FK Partizan in the third qualifying round (3-1 away, 2-2 home). They then got the better of HNK Rijeka in the play-off round, coming through 2-1 at home and 1-0 away.
• The Greek side have won three of their last four away European games, including both this season. In their last UEFA Champions League group campaign, in 2015/16, they won two of their three away fixtures.
• Olympiacos' most recent trip to Italy was that 2014 loss at Juventus. Their record away to Serie A sides is W3 D1 L7.
Match facts
Juventus
• Including the final two games of last season, Juventus have won their last eight Serie A fixtures.
• Paulo Dybala marked his 100th Juventus appearance with a hat-trick, his second of the campaign, as US Sassuolo Calcio were beaten 3-1 on 17 September.
• After scoring twice in a 4-0 win against Torino FC on Saturday, Dybala has scored 12 goals in eight appearances for the Bianconeri this term, including ten in six Serie A games.
• Dybala is one hat-trick away from matching Omar Sivori's club record from 1960/61 of three trebles in a league campaign.
• Wojciech Szczęsny deputised for the rested Gianluigi Buffon in the 1-0 home victory over ACF Fiorentina on 20 September, keeping his second clean sheet in as many outings for Juventus.
• Mattia De Sciglio (out since 12 September, leg) and Claudio Marchisio (late August, knee) remain sidelined.
• Pjaca has not played since tearing the cruciate ligament in his right knee during Croatia's friendly against Estonia on 28 March.
• Benedikt Höwedes is yet to make his Juventus debut after joining the club late in the summer transfer window and then suffering a thigh injury in training.
Olympiacos
• Having been unbeaten in their first seven games this season, Olympiacos have now lost two of their last four, both 3-2: against Sporting on matchday one and AEK Athens FC on Sunday, when they had been 2-0 up.
• The AEK defeat prompted the departure of coach Hasi the following day. He was replaced by Lemonis, who won five league championships in his three previous spells in charge, including the 2016/17 title before making way for Hasi.
• Emmanuel Emenike scored twice as the Piraeus side started the Greek Cup group stage with a 2-1 home win against Asteras Tripolis FC on 20 September. Olympiacos drew 1-1 against the same team in the league three days earlier.
• Kostas Fortounis (groin) and Thanasis Androutos (right ankle) sustained injuries in the cup fixture; neither played against AEK.
• Jagoš Vuković suffered a hamstring injury while on international duty with Serbia earlier this month and is expected to be sidelined for another two weeks.
• Alberto Botía, yet to play this season, is lacking match fitness after overcoming quad and calf injuries.
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