The stage doesn't get much bigger for Juventus as any result but a victory against Benfica on Tuesday will see the Portgueuse and PSG advance from Group H to the knockout stage. It has been a disappointing Champions League campaign for Max Allegri with only one victory in the competition so far and things won't get any easier as Benfica have been impressive during group-stage play.
Even after a comprehensive victory facing Empoli over the weekend, Juventus are struggling in Serie A where they're only eighth in the table. While ownership has pledged Allegri will stay in charge until at least the end of the season, this is a Juventus side that has underperformed expectations for years now and they're on pace to crash out of Champions League while also being pretty far back when it comes to qualifying via league play as well. Meanwhile, Benfica are in an excellent position after doing what was needed and drawing against PSG while winning their remaining matches.
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Here's our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Tuesday, Oct. 25 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica -- Libson
- TV: None | Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Benfica -108; Draw +250; Juventus +290 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
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Storylines
Benfica: A balanced side, Benfica's success has been based on their defense as they've only allowed three goals in their four Champions League matches so far. With a clean a bill of health, Roger Schmidt will have his strongest team available including the duo of Rafa Silva and Joao Mario who will be hard for Juventus to stop in the match.
Juventus: With a struggling attack, no Angel Di Maria will be hard for Juventus to overcome in the away trip. The Italian side have only scored multiple goals in two of their last five matches so they'll need to avoid going down early as one goal feels like two when they're looking to come back in a match. Juventus will need to show fight in a match where anything but a win is unacceptable for them.
Prediction
Benfica's defense has been better than expected during Champions League play and will come up big again holding Juventus to secure passage to the round of 16. Pick: Benfica 1, Juventus 0
