As soon as VfB returned from Munich with a clear defeat, they head straight to the next European top team. In Turin’s Allianz Stadium, they face the Italian record champions Juventus FC.
Sebastian Prödl won the 2015 “Football Quote of the Year” award. At the time, he said, “Munich is like a visit to the dentist. Everyone has to go at some point. It can hurt quite a bit, but it can also turn out fine.” That’s exactly how the match on Saturday felt. But this time, after that ordeal, there’s a gift waiting for VfB: The Old Lady, Juventus FC, awaits the Young Wild Ones of VfB Stuttgart.
While Juve is no longer the powerhouse it once was, this is still far from an easy draw for Hoeneß and company. Juventus remains unbeaten in both Serie A and the Champions League, whereas VfB has gone four games without a win in competitive matches. You don’t need to be a football expert to realize that VfB needs a miracle to take anything from Turin. Of course, it could go the same way it did in Madrid; VfB could keep up well, even have chances to take the lead, but in the end, the opponent’s quality will prevail, and all we’ll be left with is applause for a good performance. Personally, I wouldn’t mind that. I still see these Champions League games as a reward for an outstanding season.
That doesn’t mean I’d condone a soulless performance like during Labbadia’s time, but we already saw in Munich where the upper limit of this team is. We saw that VfB would need to have an exceptionally good day, while the opponent would need a bad one, to win. Just like on matchday 32 last season, when they beat a disinterested Bayern team 3–1. And to be honest? That’s totally fine. I’m writing this because I think some of the criticism directed at VfB players after the Munich match was far too harsh. I believe people sometimes forget where we’ve come from. The relegation play-off against Hamburg was less than two years ago, and now we’re playing against Real and Juve. We’re still living a dream.
Squad Situation
Nothing has changed since the Bayern game. It’s still too early for Führich to play, and Stergiou isn’t fit yet either. In addition, Raimund, Zagadou, and Diehl are also out.
Possible Starting Lineup
I’m actually finding it hard to predict the lineup. I expect Millot to replace Rieder, and Mittelstädt to be back on the left side. Demirovic might come off the bench.
Statistics
This is the first time that VfB Stuttgart will face Juventus FC. However, VfB has played against Italian teams eleven times before (UC Sampdoria, Torino FC, SS Lazio, SSC Napoli, and Parma Calcio). VfB has only managed to win once, in 1979, when they beat Juventus’ city rivals Torino FC 1–0 in the first leg of the UEFA Cup first round. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to progress, as they lost the return leg in Turin 0–2 after extra time. The most legendary match against an Italian team was probably the UEFA Cup final against SSC Napoli, where, after both legs (1–2, 3–3), they had to settle for the silver medal against Maradona and co.
Conclusion
The match in Turin is probably the second highlight of this season, after the game against Real. From a sporting perspective, we are the clear underdogs, and anything other than a defeat would be a pleasant surprise. I think we will put on a good performance but will ultimately lose 0–1.
Image: © Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images