Socrates

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (4th leg) - 7-11-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ JUVENTUS 4 - 0 NORDSJAELLAND Claudio Marchisio (6′) Arturo Vidal (23′) Sebastian Giovinco (37′) Fabio Quagliarella (75′) Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (Macedonia) Attendance: 29000‎ CL: Juve demolish the Danes Nov 7, 2012 Juventus brushed off talk of a crisis by crushing Nordsjaelland 4-0, but remain third in Group E after Chelsea's last-gasp 3-2 win over Shakhtar Donetsk. The pressure was on the Bianconeri after nine consecutive European stalemates and on Saturday their 49-match unbeaten run in Serie A was ended by a 3-1 defeat here to Inter. Mirko Vucinic bruised his calf in that game and was therefore ruled out along with Simone Pepe, but Stephan Lichtsteiner was dropped to the stands. Alessandro Matri partnered Sebastian Giovinco, while Mauricio Isla and Kwadwo Asamoah took the wide roles. Nordsjaelland earned their first ever Champions League point with a 1-1 draw when these sides met in Denmark and kept the same starting XI. As Juve had drawn all three games so far in Group E, they had to win tonight or leave themselves a mountain to climb for qualification – namely having to beat Chelsea at home and Shakhtar in Donetsk. Once again, the Juventus Stadium was not full for the Champions League despite packing out Serie A games regularly. Giovinco forced a save out of the goalkeeper when falling, but the linesman had correctly flagged him offside. It was an early warning that Nordjsaelland did not heed, as Juve broke the deadlock moments later. Andrea Pirlo spread the play to the right for Isla to flash a ball across the face of goal and Claudio Marchisio was ready to tap in from seven yards. Jesper Hansen had to sprint out of his box to clear from Matri when the striker sprung the offside trap in midfield. Giovinco had penalty appeals for a handling offence as he went to hook the long ball, but the referee waved play on, while Nordsjaelland desperately cleared in the six-yard box as Asamoah pulled back from the by-line. Marchisio threatened a second goal on 17 minutes when getting in front of his marker to run on to a ball over the top, but the goalkeeper parried from point-blank range with his knee. Arturo Vidal fired over from a Giovinco assist, while a crucial Enoch Adu tackle stopped the Atomic Ant short as he was about to pull the trigger. Juventus did double their lead with Vidal acting as a real goal poacher. Isla put the loose ball back into the middle and Vidal’s shot was charged down by Kasper Lorentzen, but the defender wasn’t alert enough and Vidal snuck back in at full stretch to prod it in at the near post from six yards. Isla charged into the area to sting Hansen’s palms, then from a Pirlo corner the looping Matri header cracked against the crossbar on 26 minutes, as it was absolute domination from the Italians. A corner was cleared to outside the box, where Marchisio unleashed a blockbuster that Hansen palmed round the upright with great difficulty. Giovinco broke his Champions League drought after numerous attempts in this first half. He gathered from Pirlo down the right and took advantage of Ivan Runje backing off slightly to smash an angled drive across Hansen towards the far corner. Asamoah’s volley turned into an assist for Matri, but his first touch on the turn let him down. Nordsjaelland were being steamrollered, so they made a double substitution at half-time, introducing Anders Christiansen and Soren Christensen for a 4-3-3 system. Matri held up the long Pirlo pass for Vidal’s half-volley, well smothered by Hansen, and Paul Pogba replaced a limping Vidal to cheers from the Turin crowd. Gigi Buffon finally had something to do on 63 minutes by beating away a long-range Patrick Mtiliga strike, but seconds later Fabio Quagliarella sent Matri clear on goal and the striker hesitated when one-on-one with the goalkeeper, allowing Jores Okore to recover. Matri and Quagliarella had shots charged down in the same move, then the former Cagliari striker just failed to make contact with Pirlo’s pass at full stretch. Quagliarella added a fourth goal from a set play. Pirlo’s corner was flicked on by Matri at the near post for Quagliagol to nod under the bar from five yards. It was his second Champions League goal after the one scored at Stamford Bridge. Juventus 4-0 Nordjsaelland Scorers: Marchisio 6 (J), Vidal 23 (J), Giovinco 37 (J), Quagliarella 75 (J) Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini (Lucio 69); Isla, Vidal (Pogba 53), Pirlo, Marchisio, Asamoah; Matri, Giovinco (Quagliarella 60) Nordsjaelland: J Hansen; Parkhurst, Okore, Runje, Mtiliga; Adu (Christensen 46), Stokholm; Laudrup (A Christiansen 46), Lorentzen, John; Beckmann (Nordstrand 73) Ref: Stavrev (MKD)

CHELSEA 7 SHAKHTAR 7 JUVENTUS 6 NORDSJAELLAND 1

Grande Pirlo

Negati un paio di rigori al Chelsea. Chelsea 2 - 2 Shakhtar

Bella azione danese

Sono d'accordo.

Primo errore di Isla.

Vai Mangiafuoco!

QUAGLIARELLA 4-0

Matri fuorigioco.

Entra Lucio esce Chiellini

Pirlo Mangiafuoco .... tiene i fili dei burattini.

Matri

Prima parata di Gigi al 62'

3 volte con i piedi.

Esce Seba

Entrerá Quagliarella per Matri o per Giovinco?

Ci pensa la fidanzata ad alzargli .... il morale.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (4th leg) - 7-11-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ JUVENTUS - NORDSJAELLAND Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (Macedonia) HT: Juve dominate Nordsjaelland Nov 7, 2012 Juventus are back on their feet, dominating the first half and leading Nordsjaelland 3-0 with Claudio Marchisio, Arturo Vidal and Sebastian Giovinco. In the other group game, Chelsea are leading Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1. The pressure was on the Bianconeri after nine consecutive European stalemates and on Saturday their 49-match unbeaten run in Serie A was ended by a 3-1 defeat here to Inter. Mirko Vucinic bruised his calf in that game and was therefore ruled out along with Simone Pepe, so Alessandro Matri partnered Sebastian Giovinco, while Mauricio Isla and Kwadwo Asamoah took the wide roles. Nordsjaelland earned their first ever Champions League point with a 1-1 draw when these sides met in Denmark and kept the same starting XI. As Juve had drawn all three games so far in Group E, they had to win tonight or leave themselves a mountain to climb for qualification – namely having to beat Chelsea at home and Shakhtar in Donetsk. Once again, the Juventus Stadium was not full for the Champions League despite packing out Serie A games regularly. Giovinco forced a save out of the goalkeeper when falling, but the linesman had correctly flagged him offside. It was an early warning that Nordjsaelland did not heed, as Juve broke the deadlock moments later. Andrea Pirlo spread the play to the right for Isla to flash a ball across the face of goal and Claudio Marchisio was ready to tap in from seven yards. Jesper Hansen had to sprint out of his box to clear from Matri when the striker sprung the offside trap in midfield. Giovinco had penalty appeals for a handling offence as he went to hook the long ball, but the referee waved play on, while Nordsjaelland desperately cleared in the six-yard box as Asamoah pulled back from the by-line. Marchisio threatened a second goal on 17 minutes when getting in front of his marker to run on to a ball over the top, but the goalkeeper parried from point-blank range with his knee. Arturo Vidal fired over from a Giovinco assist, while a crucial Enoch Adu tackle stopped the Atomic Ant short as he was about to pull the trigger. Juventus did double their lead with Vidal acting as a real goal poacher. Isla put the loose ball back into the middle and Vidal’s shot was charged down by Lorentzen, but the defender wasn’t alert enough and Vidal snuck back in at full stretch to prod it in at the near post from six yards. Isla charged into the area to sting Hansen’s palms, then from a Pirlo corner the looping Matri header cracked against the crossbar on 26 minutes, as it was absolute domination from the Italians. A corner was cleared to outside the box, where Marchisio unleashed a blockbuster that Hansen palmed round the upright with great difficulty. Giovinco broke his Champions League drought after numerous attempts in this first half. He gathered from Pirlo down the right and took advantage of Ivan Runje backing off slightly to smash an angled drive across Hansen towards the far corner. Asamoah’s volley turned into an assist for Matri, but his first touch on the turn let him down. Juventus 3-0 Nordjsaelland (Half-Time) Scorers: Marchisio 6 (J), Vidal 22 (J), Giovinco 37 (J) Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Isla, Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, Asamoah; Matri, Giovinco Nordsjaelland: J Hansen; Parkhurst, Okore, Runje, Mtiliga; Adu, Stokholm; Laudrup, Lorentzen, John; Beckmann Ref: Stavrev (MKD)

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (4th leg) - 7-11-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ JUVENTUS - NORDSJAELLAND Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (Macedonia) Line-ups: Juventus-Nordsjaelland Nov 7, 2012 Juventus must beat Nordsjaelland tonight to stay in the Champions League, so look to Alessandro Matri and Sebastian Giovinco. The pressure is on the Bianconeri after their 49-match unbeaten Serie A run was ended by Inter on Saturday and their European hopes are hanging by a thread too following three stalemates. Mirko Vucinic is not even on the bench due to a bruised calf muscle, joining Simone Pepe in the stands. Stand-in Coach Angelo Alessio confirmed Matri would start, though there was a question mark on whether his partner would be Fabio Quagliarella or Giovinco. Mauricio Isla and Kwadwo Asamoah take the flanks in a 3-5-2 system, but there is no room for Paul Pogba or Nicklas Bendtner, who are only on the bench. Nordsjaelland earned their first ever Champions League group phase point – and goal – when holding Juve to a 1-1 draw. The Danes have no particular injury concerns going into this game, as captain Nicolai Stokholm is back after missing the weekend’s Danish Super League tie with a calf problem. They therefore use exactly the same line-up that held Juventus in their last meeting. Juve have now drawn their last nine consecutive UEFA fixtures, but a win could put them back into contention as top two Shakhtar Donetsk and Chelsea face off at Stamford Bridge tonight. Shakhtar lead Group E with seven points, followed by Chelsea on four, Juventus three and Nordsjaelland just one. Juventus: Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Isla, Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, Asamoah; Matri, Giovinco Juventus bench: Storari, Lucio, Caceres, Pogba, Giaccherini, Bendtner, Quagliarella Nordsjaelland: J Hansen; Parkhurst, Okore, Runje, Mtiliga; Adu, Stokholm; Laudrup, Lorentzen, John; Beckmann Nordsjaelland bench: R Jensen, Gundelach, Christensen, Ticinovic, Issah, Christiansen, Nordstrand

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (4th leg) - 7-11-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ JUVENTUS - NORDSJAELLAND Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (Macedonia) Matri in for Vucinic as Juventus take on Nordsjaelland The Italian striker has been chosen to lead the Old Lady attack against their Danish opponents on Wednesday evening, with the Montenegro international unavailable. Nov 7, 2012 Alessandro Matri has been chosen to partner Sebastian Giovinco up front, in a Champions League match against Nordsjaelland the Turin giants must win to keep alive their hopes of making the next round of the competition. The 28-year-old got the nod after it was confirmed that Mirko Vucinic would miss out on the match through injury, having sustained a knock in the weekend reverse against Inter that ended the side's incredible run of 49 Serie A matches without defeat. Fabio Quagliarella and Nicklas Bendtner, who were also in contention for the place left vacant by the Montenegro international, start from the bench. Stephan Lichtsteiner is another change from Saturday, as he is replaced in the starting line-up by Mauricio Isla who will play on the right side of a five-man midfield. The visitors, who lie bottom of Group E having picked up just one point from their opening three fixtures, are boosted by confirmation that Nicolai Stokholm will be fit to play. The club captain was a doubt before kick-off due to injury, but will take the field; Lasse Petry, meanwhile, is out. Juventus (3-5-2): Buffon; Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini; Isla, Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio, Asamoah; Matri, Giovinco. Nordsjaelland (4-5-1): Hansen; Okore, Mtiliga, Parkhurst, Runje; Adu, Stokholm, Lorentzen, John, Laudrup; Beckmann.

CHAMPIONSLEAGUE.CA UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (4th leg) - 7-11-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ JUVENTUS - NORDSJAELLAND Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (Macedonia) Juventus vs. Nordsjaelland Preview Nov 7, 2012 Wednesday night features an important Champions League Group E match between Juventus and Nordsjaelland in Turin. Sitting on three points just one behind second place Chelsea, Juve are in a must win situation. With the defending European champions traveling to Donetsk to face Shakhtar, it’s a real opportunity for the Bianconeri to take three points off Nordsjaelland at home as they have a very good chance of ending the week in the top two. As usual, Juventus will deploy their 3-5-2 system with the regular back line of Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, and Andrea Barzagli with Gianluigi Buffon in goal. Kwadwo Asamoah missed the game in Copenhagen, so he could slot in the left wingback position alongside the midfield trio of Andrea Pirlo, one of Arturo Vidal or Claudio Marchisio, and Paul Pogba, who is rumoured to start tomorrow night. Mauricio Isla will most likely replace Stephan Lichtsteiner on the right side after the Swiss defender featured on the weekend against Inter. Juve assistant manager Angelo Alessio confirmed that Alessandro Matri will start up front, but his partner is yet to be determined. Sebastian Giovinco or Fabio Quagliarella are the choices as Mirko Vucinic is questionable, so he might be a substitute if necessary. Nordsjaelland have a few injury problems coming into the game. The Danish outfit could be without their captain Nicolai Stockholm, and while he has travelled to Turin, he missed the weekend match with a calf injury. Lasse Petry is also sidelined alongside Joe Sise. The key man for the Danish champions is Jores Okore, who was magnificent in the reverse fixture. Mikkel Beckmann might be the lone striker up front, he’ll be trying for his second goal in as many games against his childhood club. Jesper Hansen will be the starting goalkeeper, he was also brilliant against the Bianconeri two weeks ago. He might be just as occupied tomorrow. The storyline surrounding this match is all about Juventus. The Scudetto holders had their 49 game undefeated run end on Saturday after a 3-1 loss at home to arch rivals Inter in the Derby d’Italia. Everyone will be watching to see how they cope with the defeat and whether or not they’ll be able to snap another streak: Nine straight draws in Europe. The derby on Saturday taught everyone two things about this football club. Firstly, they miss Antonio Conte. Angelo Alessio has proven to be a good assistant, but he’s managed his team to some less than convincing results like the 1-1 draw two weeks ago to Nordsjaelland. He lacks the motivation and what Italians call “grinta” that Conte has, so we’ll see if he can truly lead this team or if he’s simply warming up Conte’s seat for the next month. Second, Juventus desperately lack finishing in their strike force. Normally the midfield bails out The Old Lady, but against Inter all five of them were outplayed. Tomorrow will be the re-test as to whether the strikers can deliver in big matches and not be saved by the likes of Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal. For Nordsjaelland, they’ll be hoping to build on their impressive display last matchday. They played very well against Juve and deserved their point. If they stick to that same game plan, they have a good chance at getting a similar result. They’ll need to do something Inter Milan did effectively if they are to accomplish that. Man mark Andrea Pirlo, and stop the forward runs and long balls of Leonardo Bonucci. Inter manager Andrea Stramaccioni focused on this and it completely shut down Juventus’ attack and also put pressure on them at the back. If Nordsjaelland do this, it could be another Champions League nightmare for the home side.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE (4th leg) - 7-11-2012 (8:45 p.m.) ................ JUVENTUS - NORDSJAELLAND Juventus Stadium - Turin Referee: Aleksandar Stavrev (Macedonia) Alessio: Matri Will Start For Juventus Against Nordsjaelland Nov 7, 2012 Juventus assistant Angelo Alessio has stated that Alessandro Matri will start Wednesday’s Champions League fixture against Nordsjaelland. The Bianconeri host the Danish champions but have seen their attacking options depleted after Mirko Vucinic picked up an injury in the Derby d’Italia. “He has a bruised calf, so we want to rest him”, Alessio said. However the 47 year old believes there is plenty of quality in the squad to overcome any problems. “Alessandro Matri will start on Wednesday, alongside either Fabio Quagliarella or Sebastian Giovinco. We are happy with all our strikers”. Alessio also has confidence that Nicklas Bendtner will prove a hit in Turin despite failing to make an impression so far. “Nicklas Bendtner has started well, but we expect him to improve and get on the scoresheet soon.” Juventus currently sit third in Group E after drawing their opening three games. The group’s other game sees leaders Shakhtar Donetsk travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea.