Juventus jumping back into the Champions League this season provided plenty of unknowns. The squad was so much different than the last time they played in Europe, their new manager had played but never coached in the competition before, and the brand new format was maybe the biggest of unknowns with how it would all play out over the next four months.
That return to Europe started with a bang, as Juventus beat Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven 3-1 in Turin back in September, a night that had plenty hoping that better times ahead.
Well …
It will be that same PSV side in which Juventus will either keep their Champions League campaign alive or see their return to Europe end, as the two sides that met on Matchday 1 will meet again in the two-legged play-off round that will fill out the second half of the round of 16 field. Juventus, as a result of finishing a disappointing 20th, entered Friday’s play-off round draw set to face either PSV or AC Milan — who finished 13th and 14th, respectively, during the league phase — with very obvious storylines attached to either of those potential opponents.
So instead of a meeting with the last team Juventus has beaten domestically or in Europe, it’s a rematch with the club in which Thiago Motta claimed his first Champions League win against.
The first leg of the play-off matchup will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 11, in Turin, with the return leg eight days later on Wednesday, Feb. 19, in Eindhoven.
The winner of the Juventus-PSV matchup will face either Inter Milan (blah) or Arsenal in the Champions League Round of 16, which will see the first leg tie played the first week of March.
Considering where both Juve and PSV finished in the table, it’s safe to say things are very much different compared to when they met at the Allianz in mid-September. Back then, Bremer’s ACL was still 100% healthy and he was playing as well as he ever has in Turin. Juventus’ defense, as a result of Bremer still being available, was pretty rock-solid. And, unbeknownst to us, the draws were far from stacking up the way in which they have now that we sit here on the eve of February.
PSV, meanwhile, went on to win four of their final five league phase matchups, with only a loss to French side Brest smack dab in the middle of those four wins. They closed the league phase with a 3-2 win over a heavily-rotated Liverpool side.
