On Tuesday, the second leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-final will take place. The teams of Turin's "Juventus" and "Monaco" will fight again for a spot in the tournament final, but this time the match moves to Italy.
"Juventus" - "Monaco" Tournament: UEFA Champions League (semifinal) Stadium: "Juventus" (Turin) Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (Netherlands) Date and time: 2017-05-09, 21:45 In the first leg match in France, the hosts had a difficult time - "Monaco" failed to break through the solid defense of Turin's "Juventus" who hadn't conceded a goal in the knockout stage, while the visitors scored with quick counterattacks. Teams' results The match in France ended with a victory for "Juventus" with a score of 2-0. Gonzalo Higuain's double after two assists from Dani Alves brought the visitors a crucial victory ahead of the second leg. There is little doubt that the solid defense demonstrated by "Juve" in Italy will be able to maintain their two-goal advantage and secure a spot in the final against "Monaco". However, the young "Monaco" team is not giving up. There is no doubt that Monaco's eleven led by Radamel Falcao and Kylian Mbappe will try to break through the defense of "Juventus," but whether their efforts will be enough remains uncertain. After the lost Champions League semi-final match, the "Monaco" team faced an important match in France in the battle for the "Ligue 1" championship title. Leonardo Jardim's disciples confidently defeated "Nancy" with a 3-0 victory. Goals from Bernardo Silva, Thomas Lemar, and an own goal from the opponent secured the victory for the French vice champions on the go. On the other hand, Turin's "Juventus" couldn't secure a second consecutive victory over the weekend - Massimiliano Allegri's team drew 1-1 in the city derby against "Torino". "The Old Lady" was close to defeat, but Gonzalo Higuain extended it to a draw in the 92nd minute for the playing team in front of their fans. Both "Monaco" and "Juventus" remain leaders in their respective local leagues after the weekend matches. Team news In these matches, as well as their opponents, "Monaco" will be able to count on their strongest lineup. It is expected that left-back Benjamin Mendy will return, but due to injury, Gabriel Boschilia will be unavailable. In the lineup of "Juventus," there is also good news - after his suspension in the first leg match, midfielder Sami Khedira should return to the starting lineup, but due to injury, important players Marko Pjaca and Daniele Rugani will not be able to help the Italian team. Predicted starting lineups: "Juventus": Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Alex Sandro, Pjanic, Khedira, Dani Alves; Dybala, Mandzukic; Higuain. "Monaco": Subasic; Mendy, Jemerson, Glik, Sidibe; Bernardo Silva, Fabinho, Bakayoko, Lemar; Mbappe, Falcao Coaches' thoughts "Juventus" head coach Massimiliano Allegri: "Monaco" has nothing to lose. They can feel free on the field and cause us problems because they have very talented players, especially in attack. We have to play aggressively and secure another victory. Today we have to play even better than Monaco, as we made quite a few mistakes. The result of the first match should not be celebrated, as we still have to play at least another 90 minutes." "Monaco" head coach Leonardo Jardim: "In attack, we need to be precise and ruthless. In the first leg, we had as many shots as 'Juventus', but their finish was much better. It is obvious that 'Juventus' is a more mature team than us, but we lost because we failed to take advantage of our opportunities. We will try to keep our dream alive. Our goal is to reach the final and we will do everything to play as well as possible. Regardless of what happens in Turin, I am proud of my entire team."
