Projected Juventus lineup for Champions League clash with Valencia
By John Vaccaro
CM: Miralem Pjanic
Pjanic was rested against Sassuolo due to an injury picked up playing for Bosnia and Herzegovina during the international break. Now he will reclaim his rightful position directing the Juventus attack. In the 4-3-3 he will be free to sit back in a deep-lying playmaker role to create for Juve’s attack. This has been when he has looked his best over the last year. He will also be more heavily relied upon with Paulo Dybala out of the lineup. In the past Dybala has served as a link between the midfield and attack, but with him on the bench it will fall upon Pjanic to link up with the attack. His form has steadily improved throughout the season and he will be heavily leaned on to break down the Valencia defense in this match.
CM: Blaise Matuidi
Blaise Matuidi will once again be tasked with performing in his role as a box-to-box midfielder. He provides cover for the defense and helps Juventus maintain control of the midfield. Matuidi’s 7 tackles against Lazio are a perfect representation of how crucial Matuidi is to stifling opposing attacks. As long as Juve chooses this formation we can expect Matuidi to hold down this position in the starting lineup. When Juve faces the top teams in this competition they will need Matuidi to keep them off balance in the midfield. Get used to seeing Matuidi in constant motion in Juve’s midfield this season.
CM: Emre Can
Can played well in his first Juve start against Sassuolo. However, it isn’t just his performance that should earn him this position, but also the fact that Sami Khedira has been a major disappointment throughout this season. Can is capable of making a bigger contribution to the attack than Khedira. He also offers more on the defensive end than Khedira at this point in their careers. He played well in Liverpool’s Champions League run last year and Juventus will be hoping he can carry that over to this season.