Dybala, Messi to renew rivalry
The focus will be on Argentine teammates when Juventus host highflying Barcelona tonight
TURIN: Juventus star Paulo Dybala has rediscovered his scoring form just in time as he renews his rivalry with fellow Argentina Lionel Messi in Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Barcelona.
The 30-year-old Messi scored two goals to help Barcelona to a comfortable 3-0 win over Juventus, last season’s finalists, at the Nou Camp in September.
Messi then scored a hat-trick in Ecuador to carry Argentina through to the 2018 World Cup.
Dybala was on the substitute’s bench in Quito but the 24-yearold will be on the field in Turin where a win will ensure Juventus make the knockout rounds.
Barcelona lead Group D by three points with two rounds to go, and Ernesto Valverde’s side need only a draw to advance as group winners.
Since arriving in Turin from Palermo in 2015, Dybala, dubbed ‘The Jewel’, scored 56 goals in 112 games. But he has yet to open his tally in Europe this term.
Messi has hit three in the Champions League this season to join Ronaldo in the exclusive club of players who have scored 100 goals in Europe. With one eye on their visit to Valencia this weekend, Ernesto Valverde may choose to rest some of his key players against Juventus. Barcelona currently are leading Group D and need only a draw to retain their top spot. Despite 11 wins and one draw from 12 domestic games, Barcelona have looked far from their dominant best, especially against smaller teams — something Valverde has been heavily criticised for.
This will be a big test for the high flying Catalans. Lionel Messi and goalkeeper
Ter Stegen have been critical to Barcelona’s successes this season. Messi has been able to summon his best on several occasions to save Barcelona at the death and even scored two goals at Juventus in the first game. Stegen is in the form of this life, making some match winning saves that have kept Barcelona afloat at the top. If Juventus hope to win, they will have to keep one eye on containing Messi, the other on finding a way past the German custodian. Juventus’s recent run of form will surely not serve as a morale booster as they prepare to host Messi & Co. In their last three matches, they drew with Sporting CP (Champions League), won against Benevento (Serie A) and lost in their most recent outing to Sampdoria (Serie A). If last season’s finalists are to condemn Barcelona to their first loss, they will have to pull out something extraordinary from the box. Paulo Dybala had sunk Barcelona with a brace in the first leg of the quarterfinals (2016/17) in Turin earlier this year, but was unable to conjure a similar performance in their group meeting this campaign. Dybala may have scored 12 goals in 13 games this season, but 10 of them had come in the first six games. A slight dip in form and with no goals to show in the Champions League, Juventus will hope he finds his scoring shoes if they are to get the better of Barcelona. Qarabag vs Chelsea, live on Sony Ten 2 & HD, 10:30pm
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Paulo Dybala on his Argentine teammate Lionel Messi.