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Juventus welcome Olympique Lyon to the Allianz Stadium for a place in the quarterfinals of the Champions League as their continental hopes hang in the balance once again.
For the second year running, the Bianconeri need to overturn a first-leg deficit on home turf in the Champions League Round of 16. Juventus were beaten 0-2 by Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16 first leg last year and lost 0-1 at Lyon in the same stage of the competition this season.
Lucas Tousart struck for Lyon just after the half hour mark in the first leg in south-east France in February before the COVID-19 outbreak forced the competition to be suspended for a few months. That proved to be the only goal of the game as the serial Serie A winners failed to create enough meaningful opportunities and returned empty handed to Turin.
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However, given the sheer quality in Maurizio Sarri's team, they are the favourites to turn the tie around, regardless of recent results suggesting that the game against Lyon may not be a straight-forward affair.
Juventus haven won three consecutive Champions League Round of 16 ties since losing to Bayern Munich in 2015-16. However, the Bianconeri's win over Atletico in the Round of 16 second leg last year was their only win in their last four Champions League knockout games at home.
On that note, here are three potential storylines to watch in Saturday's enticing Champions League Round of 16 second-leg clash as Juventus look forward to successfully overturn a first-leg deficit against Lyon.
#1: Cristiano Ronaldo returns to his favourite club competition
Cristiano Ronaldo's team are trailing on aggregate score. The Portuguese ace steps up to net a hat-trick and turn the tables around. Sounds familiar? Well, the Portugal captain might be having a sense of deja vu when Lyon arrives in Turin.
He's done this against Wolfsburg, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich in the not too distant past. Cristiano Ronaldo is the undisputed king of comebacks. He thrives in these circumstances and relishes being the underdog.
So you could be excused for having a strong urge to bet your top dollar on Ronaldo bagging another treble or so against Lyon. Heck, he wants you to do exactly that. Following a 31-goal campaign in Serie A, the Juventus ace wouldn't want it any other way.
The stage is set. Ronaldo is ready. Will he unleash more magic in his favourite club competition once again?
#2: Juventus' shambolic defence could be their undoing
Lyon's aggregate advantage coming into the tie isn't the only problem for Juventus. The hosts' defence has been shockingly woeful since the restart.
In recent times, the Bianconeri have been really sloppy and guilty of leaving too many gaps in the back. Conceding 17 times from their last eight games is unbecoming of a side that's renowned for being one of the meanest defences in Europe over the years.
While Juventus have quality options in the centre-back position, their defence has often lacked positional awareness and has failed to mark the opposition when the offensive third gets overloaded. The 4-2 Serie A loss to AC Milan last month is a perfect example in this regard.
Sarri's zonal marking system can be attributed as one of the reasons for Juventus' defensive fallibility. But on the wings too, the Bianconeri full-backs have been beaten far too easily, especially on the left where Alex Sandro has often been found in no man's land.
Further, the midfield's inability to support the defensive line by plugging the gaps hasn't helped Juventus' cause either, an aspect that could prove to be the Bianconeri's undoing against Lyon.
#3: Lyon wary of Juventus' set-piece threat
Juventus might struggle in creating chances from open play, but their set-piece prowess is one of their biggest strengths. They have netted 14 times from such situations in Serie A this season, the most after Atalanta and Inter Milan.
With an aggregate advantage in hand, Lyon might be tempted to sit back and crowd out spaces as they know that it is the Bianconeri who need to score to remain in the tie. As much as this ploy can go a long way in stifling the hosts, Lyon's true test of mettle would be in defending corners and free kicks.
The visitors should be wary of how Dybala hoodwinked the Sampdoria backline with a dummy in a Serie A game and played a short pass to Ronaldo who did the rest:
