Atletico Madrid vs Juventus preview, H2H, team news, line-ups and prediction

Atletico Madrid and Juventus will resume their rivalry when they square off against each other in a pre-season friendly at Gamla Ullevi on Sunday afternoon.

Thiago Motta’s appointment at Turin came with a lot of excitement and anticipation over a transition from the archaic defensive style of play to a more free-flowing, dominant pattern of football as exemplified in his two-year stint at Bologna.

Motta’s football or what people call ‘Motta-ball’ caught the eye and showed dividends when Bologna qualified for their first-ever Champions League campaign since 1964.

Juventus’ expectations of a similar or a heightened replication of the ‘Motta ball’ at the Alliance Stadium were backed by an ambitious transfer window so far, where they have made some bold moves in the market.

The likes of Douglas Luiz, Juan Cabal, Michele Di Gregorio and Khéphren Thuram have all been signed to bolster key positions in the team while youngsters from Juventus’ next-gen including Jonas Rouhi, Nicolò Savona, and Kenan Yildiz have all impressed, hinting at a possible first team involvement next season.

However, the first sight and indications of ‘Motta ball’ have been far from impressive. Perhaps, a sign of difficulty in transitioning to an already accustomed ‘sit back and counter’ football that was exhibited under Massimiliano Allegri.

It’s no surprise why Mauricio Sarri faced so much backlash for his possession-based style of play despite winning the Scudetto. Motta has had a tough start to life so far, losing 3-0 to Bundesliga second-division side, Nurnberg.

Miroslav Klose’s side were the better side with seven attempts on goal against Juventus’ three despite having just 40% of possession.

The Bianconerri were expected to show a much more impressive performance when they squared off with Ligue 1 surprise package, Brest.

The French side were among several European minnows to achieve a fairytale European qualification alongside the likes of Girona, Aston Villa, Stuttgart and Bologna.

It was evident that Les Pirates were well prepared ahead of the coming season when they faced Motta’s side and gave the 36-time Italian champions a run for their money.

Juve started the match well and immediately looked to keep possession, but after five minutes they had Di Gregorio to thank for a spectacular double save to deny Brest the opening goal.

Despite starting the game well, the Bianconerri almost went behind in just five minutes thanks to a double save from new signing, Di Gregorio

The first half ended without much goalline action but the second half brought the game to life with the French side taking the lead in the 51st minute through Mahdi Camara before Dusan Vlahovic Dispatched a penalty six minutes later to equalise.

Douglas Luiz joined the new signings in showing what to expect from them when he teed up Danilo to give the Bianconerri the lead in the 71st minute before Axel Camblan scored late to tie the game.

They’re set to resume hostilities against fierce European rivals, Atletico Madrid who are having a good preseason so far – and have not lost any of their three preseason matches, scoring ten goals.

They opened their pre-season campaign against Segunda division side, Numancia with a penalty win after playing 1-1 in regulation time.

A dominant display over Laliga side, Getafe soon followed where they won 3-1 before a 6-1 thumping of Hong Kong outfit, Kitchee at Hong Kong Stadium where new signing Alexander Sørloth scored twice in one minute to give Diego Simeone’s side a two-goal lead in the first half.

Carlos Martin, Thomas Lemar, Adrián Niño and an Ngan Check Pan own goal ensured the Laliga side cruised to a 6-1 win.

Los Colchoneros finished fourth in the recently concluded Laliga season, 19 points behind champions, Real Madrid.

While their fourth-place finish guaranteed them Champions League qualification, their overall season was not at its best.

The eleven-time Spanish champions will be looking to challenge for the coveted Laliga title come next season. Seeing the exorbitant transfer activities of Real Madrid, reinforcing their squad to create a title-challenging team is also part of their agenda this summer.

They’ve already completed two high-profile signings with Euro 2024 winner, Robin Le Normand and Laliga’s second-highest scorer, Alexander Sørloth – who only missed out on the golden boot to Artem Dovbyk by one goal.

The club have also agreed the transfers of Conor Gallagher from Chelsea and Julian Alvarez from Manchester City.

Their high-scoring preseason campaign is also very impressive and are in the best shape ahead of their season opener against Villarreal.

Their next step will be against a familiar foe, Juventus whom they’ve shared some on-pitch rivalry in the past decade.

Atletico Madrid Vs Juventus match details

• Date: Sunday, August 11, 2024
• Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
• Venue: Gamla Ullevi
• Kick-off time: 01:00 PM UTC, 03:00 PM CEST, 02:00 PM BST
• Tickets: Supporters can buy tickets through the official club websites or via a trusted resellers such as Seatsnet.com.

Match stats and head-to-head

• These two sides have met 11 times with Juventus holding the superior advantage with six wins against Atletico’s five whole two matches have ended in draws.

• Atletico cruised to a 4-0 win the last time these two sides met in a 2022 preseason friendly where Alvaro Morata scored a hat-trick.

• Juventus have played 79 competitive matches against Spanish opponents, their most against a single nation in European competitions.

• Atletico are unbeaten in their preseason matches so far, winning all three including a penalty shootout against Numancia.

• Thiago Motta is yet to win a match as Juventus head coach, losing one and playing one draw.

• The Bianconerri defence has been worrying so far, conceding five goals, and ten shots on goal.

Team news

Diego Simeone does not have any major injury concerns on his side so far.

Summer signing, Sørloth gave the Colchoneros a sneak peak of what to expect from him next season when he netted twice against Kitchee. The Norwegian forward is expected to start against Juventus where he’ll show his prowess against a superior opponent.

Arthur Vermeeren – who joined from Royal Antwerp last winter will be given another chance to impress to boost his first-team chances after struggling for game time last season.

Club captain, Koke, Samuel Lino and Marcos Llorente are also expected on the team sheet while João Felix – who is facing a transfer dilemma could be handed another cameo.

Like their opponents, Thiago Motta does not have any major injury concerns in his squad.

A first start could be handed to Douglas Luiz who impressed against Brest.
Dusan Vlahovic has shrugged off any pre-season injury fears and will be barked to bring the goals when they face an impressive Atletico side.

Predicted starting lineup

Atletico Madrid predicted starting lineup:

Oblak; Azpilicueta, Witsel, Reinildo; Llorente, Vermeeren, Koke, Lemar, Lino; Sorloth, Correa.

Juventus predicted starting lineup:

Di Gregorio; Danilo, Gatti, Bremer, Cambiaso; Luiz, Thuram; Weah, Fagioli, Mbangula; Vlahovic.

Prediction

This fixture is renowned for always lighting up fireworks with tense and fierce clashes always shown whenever they meet.

In a typical Atletico manner, they play every game like a European game and this clash will be no different, especially against a known rival.

Juventus on the other hand are yet to get accustomed to the ‘Motta ball’ and their defence is their biggest concern having conceded ten shots on goal in two matches.

Facing a rampaging Atletico side will be a stern test and it’ll take more than just possession to win the game.

The Spanish side are the better team heading to this fixture and are in top goalscoring form and will look to take advantage of Bianconerri’s lacklustre defence.

We’re predicting a 3:1 win for Atletico.