Two days after Juventus’ less-than-stellar showing in Monaco meant the Bianconeri were destined for the Champions League play-off round, Luciano Spalletti and the rest of his squad found out who they will face in their attempt to keep their European campaign going beyond the middle of February.
Juventus will face a Galatasaray squad that they haven’t faced since that ill-fated trip to Turkey when Antonio Conte was still manager in Turin in the 2013 Champions League group stage. We don’t know what
the snow forecast may end up being a few weeks from now, but the fact that Juventus will have to make a trip to Turkey in the latter days of winter aren’t exactly the most reassuring thing when you remember what happened the last time they headed to Istanbul. Juventus, thanks to their 13th-place finish in the league phase,
Galatasaray finished in 20th place in the UCL league phase. They concluded the league phase with a 2-0 loss to Manchester City in England. Galatasaray are currently top of the Turkish Super Lig, with a striker that Spalletti knows quite well, former Napoli man Victor Osimhen, scoring six goals in six games in the league phase.
The winner between Juventus and Galatasaray will face either Liverpool or Tottenham in the Champions League Round of 16. While struggling in the Premier League this season, Liverpool finished third in the league phase table. Tottenham have struggled even more domestically, but under-fire manager Thomas Frank guided his side to a fourth-place finish in the league phase table.
The first leg of the play-off round will take place on either Feb. 17 or Feb. 18 in Istanbul. The return leg will take place a week later in Turin on Feb. 24 or Feb. 25. Dates for the two legs of the play-off round are still being finalized as of this writing.
Here is what Juventus CEO Damien Comolli had to say about the play-off draw:
“We knew before the draw that, regardless of the opponent, it would be tough. It’ll be exciting to go to Istanbul; we’ll find an incredible atmosphere at the stadium. We’ll be facing players who are used to this type of match in the Champions League, who know the competition well and also know Juventus well. It will be a very close match; we’re happy to play the second leg at home, and I don’t think there’s a clear favourite: they’ll be two exciting matches.”
And here is what Juventus Director of Football Strategy Giorgio Chiellini — who was obviously part of the team that last faced Galatasaray in 2013 — had to say about the draw:
“We’ll have to be good at going to that stadium and playing our game. Then there’s the return leg, but it will be crucial to play a great game in Turkey because Galatasaray is a strong team, and our job will be to try to hit them where they’re weak. At the same time, we’ll respect their quality because they have important players in all areas, but we’ll also have to be aware of our own strengths. We’ll have to be mature and play like Juventus. Osimhen? He’s a strong striker who attacks deep, and he has a rare hunger that few players see. It will be a good test to see how much we’ve improved.”
A very important note for Juventus when it comes to how the schedule shakes out: Spalletti’s squad is set to face Serie A leaders Inter Milan the weekend before the first leg of the play-off round, which is currently scheduled for Feb. 15 but will likely be moved up based on the both clubs having mid-week fixtures just a couple of days later.
