Juventus needed a win against Benfica in Portugal last week to have a chance of qualifying for the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League for a ninth consecutive season, but they lost 4-3.
The Old Lady will now have to settle for a Europa League transfer at best, and to achieve that they need to equal Maccabi Haifa’s result at worst, who also sit on three points going into this crucial group stage finale.
A win against Group H leaders Paris-Saint Germain would ensure Massimiliano Allegri’s men avoid any kind of calculation, but it will be easier said than done given they’ve won only two of their four home UCL matches against French opposition while they are currently amid a horrendous injury crisis.
The Italians will surely rely on their recent home form, as a run of three consecutive wins at Juventus Stadium for the first time since February, all by a 2+ goal margin, could be a potential confidence booster.
Current French Ligue 1 leaders PSG, who are one of only two clubs in the top five European leagues still unbeaten across all competitions, winning 15 and drawing 4 in the 2022/23 campaign, are not under the same pressure, having already sealed their progression to the knockouts. However, we shouldn’t expect complacency from the Parisians who have won their final group stage game in each of their last four UCL campaigns, while scoring at least four goals on each occasion!
Goals scored is all that separates PSG and Benfica at the Group H summit and they would be well advised to win this game to finish top of the group, particularly as Benfica travel to a Maccabi side likely stunned by their 7-2 defeat in Paris last week.
History is against Christophe Galtier’s men though, as they’ve lost against Juventus in their previous three away European H2Hs, albeit the last one was in 1997.
