Juventus vs Atletico Madrid LIVE result: Paulo Dybala's scorcher proves the difference
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Paulo Dybala curled in a free kick from the unlikeliest of angles to give Juventus a 1-0 Champions League win over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, which left the Spaniards with a battle to secure a round-of-16 place.
Juventus, already qualified, won the free kick just outside the penalty area and near the goal-line but the narrow angle did not deter Argentine Dybala who fired his shot over the wall and in off the crossbar in the 45th minute.
The Turin side, with 13 points from five games, made sure of winning Group D with one match to spare.
Atletico Madrid, beaten 3-0 on the same ground last season when they were on the wrong end of a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick, were left on seven points after their second successive defeat in the group, one ahead of Bayer Leverkusen.
Ronaldo, troubled recently by a knee problem, had a quiet game, avoided taking any free kicks and hurt himself when he kicked the corner flag trying to keep the ball in play, but did not appear to suffer an injury.
Atletico created the better chances despite having less possession.
Thomas Partey volleyed wide from outside the area and Saul Niguez headed over from close range when he should have done better, then forced Wojciech Szczesny to make a difficult save with a shot which went through a crowd of players.
Dybala, however, was a constant threat to Atletico and capped his display with a memorable goal just on the stroke of halftime.
Atletico continued to carve out chances after halftime but Matthijs de Ligt held the Juventus defence together and the Dutchman made a superb last-ditch tackle to deny Angel Correa a clear shot on goal.
The Mattress Makers squandered their best chance in stoppage time when Correa sent the ball across the face of goal, but Alvaro Morata, with an open goal gaping in front of him, failed to make contact.
Reuters
What time is the game?
The game kicks off at 8pm on Tuesday 26 November.
Where can I watch it?
The game is being broadcast on BT Sport Extra 2 with coverage getting underway at 8pm.
Subscribers can also stream the game live online via the BT Sport website.
What’s the team news?
Cristiano Ronaldo looks set to win his race to be fit for tonight’s game in a huge boost to Juve.
There is worse news for Douglas Costa and Matthijs de Ligt, however, with both likely to miss out.
Diego Costa misses out for the visitors after a neck operation but Saul Niguez and Thomas Partey are back after missing the weekend clash with Granada with suspension.
Predicted XIs
Juventus: Szczesny; Cuadrado, Rugani, Bonucci, Sandro; Khedira, Pjanic, Matuidi; Bernardeschi; Higuain, Ronaldo
Atletico: Oblak; Trippier, Felipe, Hermoso, Lodi; Koke, Saul, Thomas, Lemar; Correa, Morata
What are the odds?
Juventus 5/4
Draw 21/10
Atletico 12/5
Hello and welcome along to our live coverage of Juventus's meeting with Atletico Madrid in Turin.
Here's our predicted line-ups for tonight's game:
Predicted XIs
Juventus: Szczesny; Cuadrado, Rugani, Bonucci, Sandro; Khedira, Pjanic, Matuidi; Bernardeschi; Higuain, Ronaldo
Atletico: Oblak; Trippier, Felipe, Hermoso, Lodi; Koke, Saul, Thomas, Lemar; Correa, Morata
Tonight's game could go a long way towards deciding which of Juventus and Atletico Madrid finish top of Group D. The Italians are in the driving seat, three points clear of Diego Simeone's visitors with two games left to play.
Atletico, meanwhile, are still looking nervously over their shoulder, just a point above third-place Bayer Leverkusen. Form has been patchy for Los Colchoneros, too: they've managed just one win in their last five games in all competitions, and face a Juventus side flying high at the top of Serie A under Maurizio Sarri.
Cristiano Ronaldo starts tonight then, despite concerns over a knee problem. The 34-year-old was rested for last weekend's 3-1 win over Atalanta, and prior to that had been substituted in the second half of games against AC Milan and Lokomotiv Moscow.
That led to inevitable questions over his relationship with Sarri, but the Bianconeri coach dismissed any suggestions of a feud between them. "If a player who has won so much is angry about being substituted, he still has a lot of motivation," he said.
Matthijs de Ligt has also come through a late fitness test to start, and there is a place in the team too for Aaron Ramsey, fresh off the back of a memorable international break with Wales.
Atletico will need an improvement on their recent away performances if they're to come away with anything tonight.
Here's everything you need to know ahead of kick-off tonight:
Recent form suggests this is a formidable task for Atletico. Juventus have lost just one of their last 23 Champions League games at home and are favourites to secure another victory tonight.
Ronaldo enjoys playing against Atletico too: he's hit 25 goals against them during his career, including four hat-tricks. Simeone must be sick of the sight of him.
Here's a stat that may offer some encouragement to Atletico fans:
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