Our prediction for this Champions League match:
Valencia
Match Time & Date:
19/09/2018
03:00 PM
Prediction: 0-1
Juventus
Valencia play host to Juventus at their Estadio Mestalla in the Group H derby at the start of the new Champions League campaign. Marcelino was doing a terrific job with los Che last season and they totally deserved to book their place in the elite competition. It is well known that Valencia produce much better showings at home than on the travels, but they will have a big fish to fry in Wednesday’s football game against the star-studded Italian giants. Cristiano Ronaldo has been struggling to find his goal-scoring touch at the start of the new Serie A campaign, but seeing that CR7 knows Valencia players well, we predict that he is going to prove a handful for the opposition back-line. Given the quality of Max Allegri’s team, away win should be considered despite the fact that the La Liga side are tough to beat on home soil.
Highlighted Player (Denis Cheryshev):
Probably the most famous Russian footballer never to have played for a domestic club, Denis Cheryshev was born in Nizhny Novgorod, but began his career at Sporting Gijon as his father played for the Spanish side at the time.
The talented winger eventually caught the eye of Real Madrid and went on to spend eight years in the youth academy at Santiago Bernabeu before he was given a chance to impress on senior level. Due to a fierce competition for places in Madrid, Cheryshev was forced to gain much needed first team experience via loan spells at Sevilla, Villarreal and Valencia, and he showed a great deal of potential during those stints, proving los Blancos were wrong to let him leave.
Chersyhev has been in and out of the Russia national team since making his debut in 2012, but there is a good chance he will become an important member of Sbornaya Komanda as soon as he secures regular playing time at club level. The Russian footballer is capable of operating on either wing or through the middle, and he has proved to be quite prolific in terms of both goals and assists.
Highlighted Team (Juventus):
Juventus are considered one of the greatest European football clubs. The Bianconeri (The White and Blacks) have won two Champions League trophies (1985, 1996) and they did well to clinch three UEFA Cup titles (1977, 1990, 1993). The Italian giants have won 32 Serie A trophies and it is well known that a number of star players were part of Juve in the past.
The likes of Alessandro Del Piero, Zinedine Zidane, Michel Platini, Lilian Thuram, Filippo Inzaghi, Pavel Nedved and David Trezeguet all played for Juventus, whilst legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has yet to retire. Juve were stripped two domestic trophies during the “Calciopoli” scandal, but despite being relegated to Serie B, the club quickly brought glory days back to Turin. The Bianconeri used to play their home games at Stadio delle Alpi, but nowadays they welcome their rivals at Juventus Stadium.
The capacity of the stadium is 41,475. La Vechhia Signora (The Old Lady) is yet another nickname of the club. Juve’s biggest rivals are Torino and the two local rivals take on each other in the Turin derby.
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