Both Asamoah and Lichsteiner were rested against Fiorentina and should return to the side at left and right wing-back respectively.
Elsewhere, Sebastian Giovinco will probably replace Matri up front despite the latter scoring in the win at the weekend, with the diminutive Giovinco netting from the bench.
The rest of the team will remain unchanged, with the midfield trio of Pirlo, Vidal and Marchisio looking to control the tempo.
Shakhtar could name an unchanged XI from the side that picked up a comfortable 2-0 win over FC Nordsjælland.
Stepanenko will hope to replace Hubschmann in the holding midfield pairing, while Eduardo and Devic will wait for chances from the bench with Adriano likely to get the nod up front.
Shakhtar have had a perfect start to the season with 10 wins from 10 capped by a victory over their title rivals Dnipro this weekend. Their star man has been Henrikh Mkhitaryan who scored both goals against the Danes earlier in the competition and has 13 goals in 10 league games thus far.
Prediction
Juventus won't be underestimating a Shakhtar side coming into this game in fine form, who offer plenty of flair through their front four, and Marchisio and Vidal will need to get through a lot of work.
Luckily for the hosts there aren't many players better in Europe at doing just that than the Juve midfield right now and The Old Lady will no doubt be favourites to make their possession count.
The visitors know that this game is a huge step up from the match with FC Nordsjælland in their opener so will be more content to wait for their chances on the counter.
It's hard to say how things would have been if Juve played with a 4-man defense. A Lich-Barzagli-Bonucci-Chiellini backline makes sense, but Lich isn't that stellar a defender. I hope Juve stick to 3-5-2 with Lich and Asamoah executing their defensive duties more diligently.
Agreed @Daddy. I was impressed with much of the squad. Also obviously Willian and Mkhitaryan, even the likes of Fernandinho. Somebody should tell all of them they're playing in Ukraine.
@LessBlues Rightly put! I dont understand why teams like Barca, Man City, and Juve are trying to revive 3-5-2. If you look at their declining performance since the tactical change for esp Barca and City, it is hard to understand the need for such a change.
@Daddy Isn't this one of the complaints of the 3-5-2; the wing backs are responsible for pitching in against the wing forwards, but also need to monitor the runs of the fullbacks. You can look at it in two ways: either the wing backs are optimized because they can frustrate two sets of opposing players, or they have no single responsibility and either end up in a no man's land or become overwhelmed. Perhaps the latter today?
This game was just matter of possesion. Juve played very fastly seeking the counter attack with the ball and gave away possesion with ease in first half especially. Look at the numbers: 44% possesion of juve...wtf thats not usual
Agreed @LM007. Shakhtar were by far the better side. I wonder about the defensive frailty of Juve's 3-5-2 without a committed defensive mid. When Shakhtar broke with 3 down the middle (cutting out the wing backs), Juve were sliced apart with ease. Shakhtar really should have won. Far more chances.
-
berhin
33 weeks ago
+2
-2
Report
-
LessBlues
33 weeks ago
+1
Report
-
LessBlues
33 weeks ago
Report
-
Daddy
33 weeks ago
Report
-
footballgod
33 weeks ago
+2
Report
-
LessBlues
33 weeks ago
+1
Report
-
Daddy
33 weeks ago
Report
-
Basilio
33 weeks ago
+1
Report
-
LessBlues
33 weeks ago
+3
Report
-
LM007
33 weeks ago
+2
Report
See all 25 commentsIt's hard to say how things would have been if Juve played with a 4-man defense. A Lich-Barzagli-Bonucci-Chiellini backline makes sense, but Lich isn't that stellar a defender. I hope Juve stick to 3-5-2 with Lich and Asamoah executing their defensive duties more diligently.
Agreed @Daddy. I was impressed with much of the squad. Also obviously Willian and Mkhitaryan, even the likes of Fernandinho. Somebody should tell all of them they're playing in Ukraine.
@footballgod...it seems inefficient. You deploy 3 CBs yet still are vulnerable in areas and some situations defensively.
@LessBlues @footballgod Good points. Back to the good old 4 man defense... Srna continues to impress me by the way...
@LessBlues Rightly put! I dont understand why teams like Barca, Man City, and Juve are trying to revive 3-5-2. If you look at their declining performance since the tactical change for esp Barca and City, it is hard to understand the need for such a change.
@Daddy Isn't this one of the complaints of the 3-5-2; the wing backs are responsible for pitching in against the wing forwards, but also need to monitor the runs of the fullbacks. You can look at it in two ways: either the wing backs are optimized because they can frustrate two sets of opposing players, or they have no single responsibility and either end up in a no man's land or become overwhelmed. Perhaps the latter today?
@LessBlues Juve were dominated in midfield. I think especially the influence of the fullbacks of Shaktar in the game made Shaktar much superior.
This game was just matter of possesion. Juve played very fastly seeking the counter attack with the ball and gave away possesion with ease in first half especially. Look at the numbers: 44% possesion of juve...wtf thats not usual
Agreed @LM007. Shakhtar were by far the better side. I wonder about the defensive frailty of Juve's 3-5-2 without a committed defensive mid. When Shakhtar broke with 3 down the middle (cutting out the wing backs), Juve were sliced apart with ease. Shakhtar really should have won. Far more chances.
What did I say? I predicted a draw. And you would not believe. Juventus were lucky.