Juventus director Gianluca Pessotto expects a ‘fascinating’ set of Champions League fixtures, including Manchester City at home and RB Leipzig away. ‘Details could be decisive.’
The draw for the new format of the 2024-25 Champions League was completed this evening at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.
Juventus were picked to face Manchester City, RB Leipzig, Benfica, Club Brugge, PSV Eindhoven, Lille, Stuttgart and Aston Villa.
However, the final calendar will not be drawn up until Saturday August 31.
This new format was created as a response to the Super League plan, which Juve had tried to push along with Real Madrid and Barcelona before abandoning the project.
“These are fascinating games, it will be a tight group to the end and we have to play at the highest level,” Pessotto told Sky Sport Italia.
“We have Manchester City at home, but a lot of big away games. We get the feeling it will be a tight table, so details could be decisive, like goals scored and goal difference. We will be ready.”
Juventus started season well
The Bianconeri started the new Serie A season with back-to-back victories over Como and Hellas Verona, both with 3-0 scorelines.
However, the majority of the summer signings have not yet featured for Juventus, meaning the big changes came from coach Thiago Motta.
“Some players arrived during the season, so it takes time for them to settle into the team and get the philosophy of the club. We started well, we’re happy, we had two good results, but the season is long,” continued Pessotto.
“What we declared from the start is the importance of the whole squad, as in such a long and complicated campaign, everyone will be crucial. We also saw young players from our academy making their debuts in the senior squad and contributing not just performances, but goals too.
“It is going to be a long season, but the squad is well-built and everyone will be ready to give their contribution.”
Thiago Motta has certainly shown a knack for picking young players from the Next Gen team, as both Samuel Mbangula and Nicolò Savona scored on their full senior debuts.