Amauri out as Juventus prepare to take on Manchester City in Europa League
Juventus coach Luigi Del Neri has decided to leave his Brazilian striker at home in order to rest as he prepares to return from an ankle injury. The Turin side travel to Manchester City looking to bounce back and grain some
ground in UEFA Europa League's group A.
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It is easy to argue that Juventus, Italy's most successful club, has yet to fully recover from the Calciopoli scam which marred their 2006 season, and saw them stripped of their titles and relegated to Serie B. With a club as high profile, and with
as much money, as Juventus it was clear they wouldn't be out of the topflight for long. But their European qualification didn't come easy as they finished seventh in the league barely qualifying for the Europa League qualifying round. In order to qualify for
the group stage of the Europa League Juventus had to take on relative minnows, Ireland's Shamrock Rovers, where they were successful winning 3-0 on aggregate. Juventus currently sit in mid-table in the Serie A standings and managed only a 3-3 draw at home
to Polish club Lech in their opening match of the Europa League.
Manchester City, on the other hand, are proving to be real contenders in England this season as they broke Chelsea's run of five consecutive wins with a 1-0 victory over the weekend. They are currently tied with Arsenal for third place with 11 points
and are only a single point back of local rivals Manchester United. City also managed to travel to Austria and steal a 2-0 victory against Salzburg in their opening match of the group stage of the Europa League two weeks ago.
Players to watch
For Juventus, Serbian midfielder Milos Krasic had a standout performance leading his side to a 4-2 victory over Cagliari last weekend with a hat trick. With Amauri out of the lineup veteran Alessandro Del Piero could likely get the start alongside
strike partner Vincenzo Iaquinta who will be the likely Juventus source for goals.
Manchester City's Italian manager Roberto Mancini has put together a club that has tremendous depth and can remain competitive every night. Backstopped by Joe Hart in goal, and with defenders Vincent Kompany and Kolo Toure just ahead of him, City will
always be a difficult side to score against. As a result they have only conceded two goals in the Premier League this season. With an almost embarrassing amount of talent in midfield, it must seem like a challenge for Mancini to decide who he will cordially
invite to start the match on the bench. One man who has proved to be pivotal patrolling the midfield just ahead of the defensive line has been Dutchman Nigel De Jong. Tevez has been impressive so far this season in the Premier League with four goals, but Mancini
has other options he might want to exploit in the likes of Jo, or Emmanuel Adebayor.
What to expect
Now with financial backing rivaling that of their crosstown foes, Manchester City have to be going into the Europa League competition believing they can win it all. Playing in friendly territory this week, Manchester City will feel that the once legendary
Turin side will be no match for them. City will soar to an impressive 2-0 victory.
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