Juventus and Fiorentina face off in a Europa League Derby d’Italia, as Andrea Pirlo takes on Borja Valero.
Juventus and Fiorentina face off in a Europa League Derby d’Italia, as Andrea Pirlo takes on Borja Valero.
The first leg of the Round of 16 kicks off at 20.05 GMT in Turin, just four days after the Viola lost here 1-0 in Serie A to a Kwadwo Asamoah strike.
Borja Valero and Nenad Tomovic were suspended for the visitors in that game, while Pirlo sat out a ban for the Bianconeri.
They’re all back tonight, although Joaquin and Carlos Tevez have been ruled out by injury, joining long-term absentees Mirko Vucinic and Giuseppe Rossi.
Alessandro Matri starts against his former teammates and is supported by Josip Ilicic, Borja Valero, Mati Fernandez, David Pizarro and another ex-Juve man Alberto Aquilani.
Captain Manuel Pasqual sits on the bench on his 32nd birthday, joined by Mario Gomez, Juan Guillermo Cuadrado and Juan Manuel Vargas.
Pirlo is back in the Juve midfield, but there are several other changes, as Mauricio Isla, Sebastian Giovinco, Daniel Osvaldo, Claudio Marchisio, Martin Caceres and Angelo Ogbonna step in for Stephan Lichtsteiner, Fernando Llorente, Tevez, Paul Pogba, Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli.
This isn’t the first time these Italian clubs have battled in Europe, as Juve beat Fiorentina 3-1 on aggregate in the 1990 UEFA Cup Final.
Antonio Conte has more reason than most to want the Final, as it will be played at the Juventus Stadium in May.
Fiorentina’s record in Turin is dire with one victory, 3-2 in 2008, and five draws in their last 22 Serie A visits.
They haven’t kept a Serie A clean sheet here since a 0-0 in November 1981, conceding 45 goals in 28 games.
Juventus: Buffon; Caceres, Ogbonna, Chiellini; Isla, Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, Asamoah; Giovinco, Osvaldo
Juventus bench: Storari, Pogba, Barzagli, Bonucci, Lichtsteiner, Padoin, Llorente
Fiorentina: Neto; Roncaglia, Rodriguez, Savic, Tomovic; Aquilani, Pizarro, Borja Valero, Mati Fernandez; Ilicic, Matri
Fiorentina bench: Rosati, Pasqual, Cuadrado, Ambrosini, Vargas, Matos, Gomez