Chelsea face Juventus in Champions League Group H looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the Premier League season.
Thomas Tuchel’s side were beaten by Manchester City on Saturday at Stamford Bridge as they slipped from top spot. They began their continental campaign with a hard-fought victory over Zenit St Petersburg but travel to Turin with a depleted squad. N’Golo Kante has tested positive for Covid-19 and is tabsent, while all of Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Reece James have been ruled out due to injury.
Juventus produced a fine performance in Sweden as they beat Malmo in their opening group fixture. Back under the management of Massimiliano Allegri, who guided the club to the final of this competition in 2015 and 2017, it has been a mixed start to the season for Juventus, who lost Cristiano Ronaldo this summer. Known for their defensive solidity and structure in Allegri’s previous spell, recent results suggest this iteration of the Italian giants may be less stodgy – the club has won each of their last two games 3-2.
They will be wary of Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, who has begun the season in strong scoring form after returning to London, and nearly joined Juventus in 2019. Yet the Belgian possesses a curiously poor record against the club: Lukaku has scored just once in six previous appearances against Juventus.
Missing a number of key players, Tuchel will be keen for his star striker to reverse that record in a crucial away encounter. Follow live minute-by-minute action below:
