Chelsea poised 'to respond' at Juve

LONDON • Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has hinted his team will not sit back and will go all out to press Juventus in their Champions League Group H clash today.

The trip to Turin offers the Blues the perfect opportunity to rediscover their attacking rhythm and also respond to a 1-0 Premier League defeat by Manchester City over the weekend.

Tuchel's 5-3-2 formation was designed to frustrate City but offered little other than defensive solidity with the German questioning his tactics after the game.

When asked yesterday if he would consider a change in his pressing system, the 48-year-old said: "Yes, it is a normal thing because you have to adapt to your strengths and weaknesses.

"We were not happy with our defence against Man City, we were too passive. The defensive plan was my responsibility, maybe it led to this passive behaviour."

Both European champions Chelsea and Juventus have three points after the opening round with wins over Zenit St Petersburg and Malmo respectively, and Tuchel is expecting a difficult match despite the Italians' tough start to their domestic season.

Massimiliano Allegri's men are lying in 10th in Serie A after winning just two of their six games so far.

"They are such a big club," insisted Tuchel.

"Yes they have had some troubles, a rough start, but they were very convincing in the Champions League. They are reliable. It is a no-brainer, they demand respect."

Juve are seeking to extend their unbeaten run against Chelsea to four games. They won their most recent meeting, clinching a 3-0 home win during the 2012-13 group stage. The Italians have also won seven times against holders of the Champions League/European Cup, including four of their last five on home soil.

But Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen believes that the odds are not stacked against the Blues.

"It's the perfect game to respond, absolutely," the Dane said.

"It's not nice to lose our first match (in the league), but now we have another game coming up very quickly and it's another tough game as well.

"It's a great opportunity to get back to playing football the way we want to play, playing on the front foot again."

Tuchel confirmed that Christian Pulisic, Reece James and Mason Mount are out through injury, while N'Golo Kante has tested positive for Covid-19.

Allegri was happy to earn Juve's second victory in a row against Sampdoria in Serie A on Sunday, but a porous defence and injuries to key players have put a dampener on his side's mini recovery.

The Turin club began the new league campaign poorly, failing to win any of their opening four games for the first time in 60 years.

The coach has major selection problems to consider as first-choice strikers Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata picked up injuries against Sampdoria.

Moise Kean is the only recognised striker available to Allegri and losing both his joint-top scorers in one afternoon was a huge blow. Dybala and Morata are the only ones to score more than once this season, with three apiece.

"We'll see how to play against Chelsea without Dybala and Morata," the Juve coach said.

"It's not a decisive game anyway. The key games for the qualification are those against Zenit (in the next two rounds)."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS

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JUVENTUS V CHELSEA

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